site.btaSvilengrad District Prosecution Opens Summary Pre-trial Proceedings against Seven Human Traffickers

Svilengrad District Prosecution Opens Summary Pre-trial Proceedings against Seven Human Traffickers

Haskovo, Southern Bulgaria August 4 (BTA) - The Svilengrad District Prosecution Office has opened summary pre-trial proceedings against six traffickers from the southern town of Harmanli who assisted Syrian and Iraqi migrants in crossing into Bulgaria from Turkey.

Another summary proceedings have been launched against a 23-year old Tunisian national over human smuggling.

On the morning of July 31, border police detained three vehicles from Haskovo region at the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing, carrying 54 nationals from Syria and Iraq, including children. The Tunisian national took the foreigners across the Bulgarian-Turkish border, while the six Bulgarians waited for them on Bulgarian territory.

Some of the foreigners have sought asylum in Bulgaria, while others want to move to Western Europe. Some have been charged with trespassing the border with Turkey.

The prosecution authorities said that the pre-trial proceedings will go to court within seven days.

Since the beginning of 2015, the Svilengrad District Prosecution Office has opened 225 pretrial proceedings for trespassing the border against individuals and groups. The majority of cases have been handled in summary proceedings, meaning that the investigation has concluded within three to seven days.