Offices of Bulgarian Arms Company Raided at Request of Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau

The offices of a Bulgarian arms company were searched at the request of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.

Investigations are underway into corruption related to arms trade involving inflated prices. The Prosecutor’s Office is also examining whether shipments of weaponry were made to the Mexican cartel “Jalisco.” These investigative actions, supervised by the Supreme Cassation Prosecutor’s Office, come just days after Acting Chief Prosecutor Borislav Sarafov visited the National Investigation Service alongside officers from the FBI office in Sofia.

Early this morning, investigators, anti-mafia officers, and police raided the Sofia office of one of Bulgaria’s largest arms firms.

Miroslav Rashkov, Acting Chief Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior:
“Operations are taking place across several regions under the full control of the National Investigation Service. Searches are being conducted not only in Sofia but also in multiple cities. At this time, no arrests have been made.”

Daniel Mitov, Minister of the Interior:
“The Ministry of the Interior can only confirm that we are providing assistance to the investigative authorities. This concerns cooperation through international channels.”

• Arms Traders in Bulgaria Searched over Suspicions of Selling Arsenal to Russia

The Prosecutor’s Office stated that the raids are being conducted in response to a legal assistance request from Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau, related to an investigation into the trade of arms at inflated prices. According to BNT sources, there is evidence suggesting the company violated international sanctions and sold weapons to Russia. Throughout the day, the company did not respond to calls made to their contact numbers. Little is publicly known about the owners.

According to the Commercial Register, the owners are Gencho Hristov and Hristo Hristov. The latter gained media attention in 2019 when it became known that he purchased a luxury property in Beverly Hills for just over 34 million dollars. Gencho Hristov is not a public figure. Public records indicate their joint-stock company was registered in 2008. Besides arms trading, the firm is involved in real estate, construction, and research activities.

photos by BTA, BGNES

Informal sources suggest that the Bulgarian Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the owners for supplying weapons and ammunition to the Mexican cartel “Jalisco.” This cartel is designated as a terrorist organisation by the United States and is known as one of the world’s most brutal, employing military tactics. Recently, it was revealed that at the request of American authorities, a Bulgarian national, Petar Mirchev, was arrested in Spain on charges of supplying 50 Kalashnikov assault rifles and 140,000 rounds of ammunition to the Mexican drug cartel. Court documents indicate the arming of the cartel aimed to secure cocaine shipments destined for the United States.

Bulgarian authorities are examining operational data suggesting that the weapons and ammunition were purchased from the company owned by Gencho and Hristo Hristov. It is believed that Mirchev intended to supply the cartel with drones and anti-tank weapons as well.