site.btaDirectorate for Combating Organised Crime, Prosecution Service Bust Counterfeit Criminal Group

The General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (GDCOC) and the prosecution service confiscated a total of EUR 125,000 during an operation against a criminal group for counterfeit money and personal documents, the two institutions said at a briefing held by the administrative head of the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office, Iliana Kirilova, her deputy, Chavdar Pastovanov and GDCOC Director Yavor Serafimov.

The investigation began in April, and Europol was also involved in the case. Ten locations in Sofia and one outside the capital were searched. Four people were arrested during the operation, including one woman. They were detained for up to 72 hours, pending a motion to be filed in court to detain them permanently. Prosecutor Pastovanov added that the possibility of other suspects, as well as the money and documents' intended purpose, will also be investigated.

One of the detainees has been involved in migrant trafficking in the past. Among those were a member of the group who traded in the fake notes, one who was involved in their production, as well as a person who stored the finished product. All the detainees were well known to the GDCOC in relation to counterfeiting.

GDCOC Director Yavor Serafimov pointed out that the counterfeit banknotes produced by the group have been detected in Germany, France and other EU countries. The fake IDs were of good quality. During the operation, the funds used to make the fake personal documents and money were also confiscated.