In brief
BTA reports that, on a Tuesday in October 2026, Bulgarian border police detained 19 members of a criminal ring responsible for smuggling migrants across the country. Four suspects—three Syrians and one Bulgarian—were charged and held for up to 72 hours. One Greek national was charged in absentia. The investigation, still ongoing, uncovered hidden compartments in trucks and vehicles used to move migrants to Western Europe.
Bulgarian border police detained 19 people involved in a migrant smuggling ring on a Tuesday, according to a report from the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA). The arrests were made during an investigation overseen by the Sofia City Prosecution Office.
Four of the detainees—three Syrians and one Bulgarian—were formally charged and remanded in custody for up to 72 hours, BTA said. The charges focus on their role in operating a network that introduced migrants into Bulgaria and moved them further north into Western Europe.
The criminal group, described by the Border Police Directorate General, had been active since March. It used specially constructed concealed compartments in trucks for entry into Bulgaria, arranged lodging in rented properties in Sofia, and then transferred the migrants to hidden compartments in cars and trucks for onward travel to countries such as Germany and France.
BPDG officials say they searched five addresses and two vehicles during the operation, questioned witnesses, and submitted a detailed report on collected material to the supervising prosecutor.
One Syrian national, identified by investigators as a mastermind of the ring, was charged in absentia because he is believed to be hiding outside Bulgaria. The investigation continues, BTA reported.
