A major police operation in Sofia targeted the so-called “Kalashniks” group, which investigators link to a range of criminal activities including extortion, racketeering, and pimping. The Interior Ministry said the coordinated action led to checkpoints, searches, and arrests across the capital, with Botunets among the main areas of focus.
Authorities confirmed that at least 36 people were detained during the operation. Special police units and gendarmerie forces sealed off parts of the Botunets neighborhood, setting up checkpoints and carrying out raids on multiple addresses associated with the group.
Chief Commissioner Lyubomir Nikolov, acting head secretary of the Interior Ministry, said officers discovered evidence during the searches. “In some of the places we find weapons that will be subject to analysis. In others we find lists of names of girls who are most likely being exploited for prostitution for specific individuals from the detained group,” he stated.
Officials added that some of those detained are related to one another, while many already have criminal records or previous encounters with law enforcement. The Interior Ministry noted that several individuals had been detained in earlier operations targeting similar networks.
