The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Bulgarian border police detained a 22-year-old driver and 35 men who identified themselves as Afghan nationals after finding them in a van near the southeastern border town of Malko Tarnovo, the Interior Ministry said Thursday.
The incident occurred Aug. 18, according to the ministry.
The driver was identified as a national of North Macedonia. Authorities said
none of the foreign nationals in the van had identity documents.
The men were detained by officers from the Malko Tarnovo
Border Police as part of efforts to prevent irregular migration across
Bulgaria’s border.
The latest case comes amid continued efforts by Bulgarian
authorities to intercept groups of migrants traveling through the country,
which lies along a major migration route into the European Union.
Earlier this month, border police detained 20 irregular
migrants and a van driver near the Ropotamo River in a specialized operation
conducted by officers from the Burgas Regional Directorate of the Border
Police.
In mid-June, authorities detained 32 irregular migrants and
their alleged guide at the Poda checkpoint near Burgas.
Bulgarian border police have increased screening and
detention measures as they respond to attempts by migrants to enter or transit
the country irregularly.
When the June case was announced, Chief Commissioner Anton
Zlatanov, head of the Border Police General Directorate, told the Bulgarian
News Agency that new rules allow migrants to be held at specialized screening
centers at the external borders for up to seven days before being transferred
to migrant reception centers.
The authorities did not provide further details about the 35
Afghan nationals or the legal proceedings against the driver. The identities
and nationalities of the detained migrants had not been independently verified.
