Europol has identified Bulgaria as a key transit country along a migrant smuggling route running from Turkey toward Western Europe, according to a new report released today.
The analysis outlines how criminal networks operating in the region used Bulgaria as part of a broader cross-border trafficking corridor. A regional operational task force has been established involving Bulgaria, Greece, Moldova, Romania, and Serbia to combat these networks. In one documented case, leaders of a smuggling group were based in Sofia and coordinated crossings through Bulgarian territory in cooperation with criminal partners in neighboring states.
Migrants were reportedly transported across Bulgaria’s southern “green” border to pre-arranged locations, then moved onward to Sofia. There, they were temporarily housed in illegal facilities before being dispatched to various destinations across Europe. A coordinated law enforcement operation in late 2025 resulted in 16 arrests linked to the scheme.
The findings are part of a broader Europol assessment presented together with the European Commission and the Cypriot presidency of the Council of the EU. The report warns that organized crime across Europe remains highly adaptive and deeply entrenched despite ongoing enforcement efforts.
