Police in Burgas finds 18 illegal migrants hidden in a concealment inside a van

Police in the coastal city of Burgas detained 18 illegal migrants in a van on a major boulevard on July 10. Two drivers were also detained.

The pilot car and the van, overcrowded with migrants, passed through the police checkpoint at the entrance to Burgas at extremely high speed, which made the law enforcement authorities suspicious.

A car chase started, then in the area of Blvd. "Todor Alexandrov" another police team managed to stop both the pilot car and the van, in which they found 18 illegal migrants hidden in a concealment. The migrants are from Afghanistan There are children among them.

"We saw a man who was handcuffed. I saw that they were taking fingerprints from the car that was in front of the van," explained Todor Yanev, an eyewitness.

The migrants were hidden in a special concealment behind a false wall constructed of plywood. They got in there through specially built opening in the floor of the van.

"The individuals were travelling from Turkey in the direction of Serbia. The destination was Western Europe. The migrants paid 3,600 euros to guarantors, for their transfer to the respective destination," said Maria Markova, head of the District Prosecutor's Office - Burgas.

The 20-year-old driver of the van and the 19-year-old driver of the pilot car do not fit the usual profile of traffickers. Since the beginning of the summer months, the migrant pressure has increased significantly and young unemployed boys are probably recruited who are easily tempted by the idea of quick money.

"Over 600 people have been prevented from entering in the last week. This is the result of the interaction of the police, Prosecutor's office and Border Police," said the head of the Burgas District Prosecutor's Office.

If found guilty, the two arrested drivers could face up to six years in prison and a fine of up to BGN 20 000.