A huge criminal network trafficking cultural artefacts and laundering money has been dismantled by the Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office, the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (GDBOP), Europol, and the Italian Carabinieri, BGNES reported. The operation spanned eight European countries, including Bulgaria.
"The operation is not yet complete, with over 220 GDBOP officers currently searching homes, offices and safes," said Boyan Raev, director of the General Directorate. He added that 131 searches had been carried out over 30 hours, resulting in the arrest of 35 individuals. Thousands of cultural and historical treasures have been recovered so far, and more continue to be uncovered, along with over 50 firearms and explosives.
Sofia Deputy City Prosecutor Angel Kanev said that the total value of the artefacts on the black market is estimated at over €100 million, while registered transactions linked to the criminal activity exceed $1 billion.
Editor: Diana Tsankova
Posted in English by E. Radkova
The Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science is organizing a national round table on 20 November on the topic “Are Restrictions Needed on Children’s Access to Social Networks?” The initiative is in cooperation with the parliamentary..
Russia’s Lukoil said it reserves the right to pursue legal action to defend its rights and legitimate interests in Bulgaria after a special administrator took control of its local assets. LUKOIL Neftohim special administrator removes board chair..
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will open a technology center in Bulgaria focused on emerging technologies such as Big Data , artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and cloud services. This becomes possible after the..
The first quaternary wastewater treatment plant in Bulgaria was opened today in the village of Benkovski, Maritsa Municipality. “Today we are launching..
Bulgaria has officially become part of the European cultural route “The Wine Route” ( Iter Vitis ) . The certificate of membership was presented to..
Over the next 24 hours, cloudy and foggy conditions are expected across much of the western Danube and Upper Thracian plains. Rain is likely in western..
Rain
Cloudy
Overcast, rain
Mostly Cloudy