Sixteen people were arrested for trafficking illegal migrants, the Interior Ministry said. This operation was carried out by Bulgarian authorities on June 3. It took place in six districts of the country: Sofia, Burgas, Kardzhali, Stara Zagora, Haskovo and Yambol. 

Europol coordinated the operation, which involved services from Greece and Romania. The operation was launched after receiving information about an organized criminal group operating in Bulgaria to traffic migrants. This group was part of a functioning cross-border channel from Syria and Iraq via Turkey to Western Europe and the UK. 

Since June 2024, the criminal group, consisting of Romanian, Bulgarian, and Syrian nationals, has transported hundreds of migrants in groups of three to thirty people per trip. The cost ranged from €5,000 to €18,000 per person, depending on the final destination. The main routes were from Turkey to Greece, from France to the UK, from Turkey via Bulgaria to Romania, and from Turkey to Bulgaria via border control points and across the Turkish-Bulgarian border into the interior of the country.