Migrants traveling from the Greek border to Sofia are paying between 3,000 and 5,000 euros, according to Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov, Director of the Border Police Directorate, speaking on BNT.
He said Bulgaria has significantly reduced migration pressure and dismantled 18 organized crime groups involved in migrant smuggling over the past year and a half, placing the country among Europe’s leaders in border control effectiveness.
Zlatanov outlined the scale of the change in migration flows, noting a sharp decline in detections and refusals at the border. “In 2023, for this time from the beginning of the year to June, the migration pressure was 55,000 migrants who were denied entry or detained. This year, for the same period from January to June, they are 3,000,” he said. He added that the trend continued downward from 15,000 two years ago to 6,000 last year.
He also stressed that overall pressure toward Europe has fallen by around 30 percent, while Bulgaria alone has seen a 70 percent drop, arguing that this reflects stronger deterrence along the route.
According to him, the main success lies in targeting higher levels of criminal networks rather than only low-level drivers involved in smuggling operations. He described cases where drivers transporting migrants were often individuals with limited resources, debt problems, or no stable income, while the real organizers operate higher up in the chain.
