Sun, Nov 08 2009

New arrests on charges of human trafficking in Bulgaria

Mon, Jun 05 2006 09:00 CET 641 Views
New arrests on charges of human trafficking in Bulgaria

A total of 30 Bulgarians had been arrested on charges of people trafficking, Interior Minister Roumen Petkov and Prosecutor-General Boris Velchev announced in Plovdiv on May 29.

The two officials took part in the regular convention of regional prosecutors, heads of regional police directorates, the Plovdiv Investigative Service and the Plovdiv Border Police.

The arrests were part of a joint operation by Bulgarian and Italian services on Bulgarian territory against an international criminal group operating in Bulgaria and Italy. The criminal group had been operating for more than a year before its members' arrests.

The actions of Bulgarian police were co-ordinated with Italy's top anti-mafia prosecutor Piero Grasso, who is head of Italy's anti-mafia operations. This co-ordination was a result of Velchev's and Petkov's recent visit to Rome where Grasso asked for their assistance in the fight against people trafficking.

The arrested Bulgarians will be extradited to Italy. This has become possible thanks to the latest amendments to the Bulgarian constitution providing for the extradition of Bulgarian nationals to other countries in which they had committed crimes, Velchev said. Petkov described the operation as the largest conducted in this country jointly with partner services.

Of the 30 persons arrested, 28 were taken on the territory of the Pleven Regional Directorate of the Interior, and one each in Sofia and Plovdiv.

It had been established that two of the wanted persons had left the country and a search was still on for seven more, Petkov said. Petkov said that the main charges were people trafficking, mostly trafficking of women for sexual exploitation.

The masterminds of the criminal group are from Bulgaria and the group's criminal activities were based in the Italian city of Trieste. The arrests are the result of a year of investigation by Italian services.                     

Write comment

Name:Comment:

Generate new code
Send your comment

More in this category

Influenza update: Sofia schools suspend classes

Kindergartens to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and universities to decide for themselves whether to suspend classes.

Sliven police capture illegal immigrants bound for Greece

Five illegal immigrants from Iran and Iraq caught by Bulgarian police in Sliven.

Deputy head of veterinary service arrested on bribery charge

Leonid Lavchev sent an intermediary to collect 1000 leva from a dairy farm in Haskovo, investigators say

Former cabinet minister investigated for alleged embezzlement, malfeasance

Former labour minister Emilia Maslarova follows the example of Socialist party leader and former prime minister, Sergei Stanishev, in requesting that her MP immunity is lifted

Influenza update: sixth death in Bulgaria, Sofia schools face suspended classes

Health Minister: Influenza strain is not seasonal flu, it is swine flu. More than 100 000 Bulgarians are down with the H1N1 strain.