site.btaPretrial Proceedings over Drug- and Migration-Related Crimes Increase in May 2024 M/M

A total of 1,092 people were detained in Bulgaria in May 2024 for production, processing, acquisition, possession and/or distribution of illicit drugs, which was 217 more than in April 2024, shows an analysis by the Specialized Inter-Agency Taskforce of the Prosecution Service and the Ministry of Interior, which assists the investigation of this type of crimes, the Prosecution of the Republic of Bulgaria reported on Monday.

In May 2024, the authorities uncovered 16 laboratories and areas for producing narcotic substances and growing narcotic plants unlawfully, compared with eight such labs and areas uncovered in April 2024.

In one of the more notable cases, 24 packs of heroin worth BGN 1,028,160 were detected in a passenger car at the Kapitan Andreevo crossing on Bulgaria's border with Turkiye on May 26. In another example, two greenhouses with 2,700 cannabis plants in them were disrupted by police in Sofia on May 22.

An increase was reported in the number of cases related to drugs or illegal migration in which pretrial proceedings were instituted. There were 942 drug-related cases in May 2024, up from 771 a month earlier. Another 200 cases in May involved unlawful transfer of migrants across the national border and/or unlawful assistance for foreigners to stay in Bulgaria or transit the country, compared with 153 cases in April.

A total of 580 specialized police operations against illegal migration were conducted in May 2024 as a result of joint work of the prosecution service and the Interior Ministry, compared with 505 operations in April 2024, and 564 operations were carried out to suppress drug-related crimes, increasing from 462 the previous month.

In the month under review, the authorities detained 224 third-country nationals for offences related to illegal migration. The largest number of arrests were made in Sofia City (108), Burgas Region (36) and Haskovo Region (22).

Three hundred and eleven court judgments concerning the production, processing, acquisition, possession and/or distribution of illicit drugs, and 128 court judgments concerning illegal transfer of people across the border and illegal assistance for foreigners to stay in or transit Bulgaria, became effective in May 2024.

The Specialized Inter-Agency Taskforce was set up by joint orders of the Prosecution of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Interior Ministry in August 2023 with an aim to assist the investigation of drug- and migration-related crimes. One of its main functions is to monitor related pretrial proceedings.