Sofia city prosecutors have filed charges against six people for smuggling migrants through Bulgaria, the prosecution service says. The case now waits for a court to set a preliminary hearing.
The group worked in Bulgaria from the summer of 2017 until April 1, 2022, the indictment shows. One of the accused is a Syrian national with refugee status. He recruited migrants and set up their route through the country to Germany, prosecutors say.
The others had different jobs: they met people arriving from Turkey, gave them food and shelter, then drove them through Serbia and Romania all the way to Germany. The group used various vans and trucks to do this.
They kept in touch through mobile apps. In Bulgaria they used Bulgarian phone numbers, and in Turkey, Iraqi ones, prosecutors say.
In August, 101 people were detained for smuggling people across the border and for helping foreigners stay in or cross Bulgaria without papers. In July, 67 people were detained. The figures come from the interior ministry and the prosecution service. The number of pre-trial cases opened jumped from 14 in July to 42 in August.