site.btaBorder Police Officers Detain Italian, Tunisian, Two Syrian Citizens in Sofia

Border Police officers from the Border Police Sofia Regional Directorate detained an Italian, a Tunisian and two Syrians with humanitarian status, General Directorate Border Police said on Wednesday. The detainees were attempting to smuggle out 4 illegal migrants on a flight to Italy.

On Sofia Airport's Terminal 1, while carrying out compensatory measures, 4 persons presented Italian travel documents upon inspection - a boy and a girl aged 15, a young man aged 16 and a 55-year-old man. Upon conducting a thorough check, the border officers found that the documents presented were entirely fake and the bearers were Syrians illegally residing in Bulgaria. They were accompanied by a 61-year-old Italian man, who helped them to pass through the Schengen lounge and get a flight to Bergamo.

Immediately, operational search measures and procedural-investigative actions were carried out under the guidance of a supervising prosecutor from the Sofia District Prosecution Office, during which two Syrians, aged 28 and 47, who have humanitarian status in Bulgaria, were identified and detained. The two provided transport and accommodation in Sofia for the four illegal migrants. They were provided with new clothes, make-up and haircut for the girl, suitcases and accessories, with the aim of making their appearance as similar as possible to that of European citizens.

A 41-year-old Tunisian man with a family member's Belgian card was also detained. Border police officers found that he had provided fake the Italian identity cards and the airline tickets. 

Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated. The Italian, the Tunisian and the two Syrians with humanitarian status have been charged and remanded in custody.

Work on the case continues.