site.btaEurojust's Bulgarian Bureau Has Coordinated Several Successful Investigations

Sofia, August 7 (BTA) - Eurojust's Bulgarian bureau coordinated several investigations having resulted in successful international operations in Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, the Prosecution's Press Office said. This is the first such case in the organization's practice.

The coordination activities began in November 2015, when it became clear that two correspondent police investigations were carried out in Bulgaria and the Netherlands. The Bulgarian bureau initiated the signing of an agreement on the establishment of a joint Bulgarian-Dutch team in charge of investigating human trafficking with the purpose of sexual exploitation and money laundering.

It was established in the course of the investigation that the organized criminal group has also links in Belgium and that a similar investigation is conducted by the prosecution authority in Ghent.

The three countries' judicial and law-enforcement authorities held a meeting, which was attended by representatives of Europol and Eurojust. The three countries set up a joint investigation team. This was followed by successful operations on the territories of Bulgaria, the Netherlands and Germany held in September and October 2016.