Smugglers in Bulgaria nearly kill 24 migrants who paid thousands to get into EU

Border police in southeastern Bulgaria have detained two Georgian men after intercepting a van carrying 24 migrants from Afghanistan who each paid thousands of euros to be smuggled into Western Europe, local media reported.

Authorities in the village of Lozenets — situated on the country's Black Sea coast, about 60km from the Turkish border — attempted to stop the van for inspection at a police checkpoint on Saturday night, according to the newspaper 24 Chasa.

The driver reportedly ignored the request, lost control of the vehicle and crashed into parked cars before fleeing the scene.

Police discovered 24 Afghan migrants inside the van, most of whom were dehydrated and unconscious, according to local media. The migrants were reportedly examined and treated by emergency responders before being taken to Bulgaria's main asylum centre.

The driver of the van and the driver of a separate pilot car — both Georgian citizens — were later detained by Bulgarian police, the BTA news agency reported.

One of the Afghan migrants told 24 Chasa that they had each paid €4,000 to be smuggled from Turkey, and had been trying to reach Western Europe.

Police chief commissioner Anton Zlatanov told television station bTV that authorities were intercepting groups of migrants on a daily basis.

"In many parts of that area, the border between Bulgaria and Turkey is a river. Right now, the water level is very low and migrants are crossing through the river", he told bTV.

Another vehicle carrying several migrants was intercepted near Lozenets on Sunday evening, according to bTV. The driver was reportedly a Bulgarian national but there were no details about the origin of the migrants.

Despite the recent incidents in Lozenets, Bulgaria has seen a sharp drop this year in irregular migrants trying to enter the country compared to 2023, which was a record year for such attempts, Zlatanov told bTV.

This is due to improved border security and stronger cooperation with authorities in neighbouring countries, the police chief commissioner said.

Bulgaria is located on a major route for migrants from the Middle East and Afghanistan seeking to enter Europe from Turkey.

In June, Europol said 18 people in the Balkan country had been arrested for smuggling mainly Syrian migrants from Turkey to Western Europe following an operation led by local authorities.

Separately, Bulgarian customs officers said on Monday they had seized nearly 70 small inflatable boats, which are used by smugglers in the English Channel, at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint on the Bulgarian-Turkish border since the start of the year.