Balgarianovinite.com Bulgaria’s General Directorate Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC) shut down four websites selling counterfeit medicines as part of the international Operation Pangea XVIII, caretaker Interior Minister Emil Dechev said during a briefing at the Council of Ministers on Thursday.
Dechev said the operation was part of a large-scale international police effort coordinated by Interpol and carried out with the support of law enforcement agencies from member states. He described it as a major success for both INTERPOL and Bulgarian authorities, including GDCOC and the Sofia Directorate of Interior.
He praised officers from the two units, noting that cybercrime specialists had taken part in a large-scale online sweep targeting illicit pharmaceutical sales.
The operation was conducted simultaneously in 90 countries between March 10 and March 23, 2026. Authorities disrupted around 5,700 websites, social media pages, channels and automated bots used to market and sell illegal medicines.
According to INTERPOL around 270 people have been arrested across 90 countries during the operation, while 66 criminal groups have been dismantled. More than 6 million illicit medicines worth USD 15.5 million were also seized.
Among the most serious cases, Dechev highlighted the discovery of an illegal pharmaceutical factory in Bulgaria, where millions of tablets, ampoules and injectable products were seized.
Asked about his time in office, Dechev said the Ministry of Interior had shown over the past two and a half months that it could work “boldly, fearlessly and without double standards” while strictly following the law. He added that despite the limited mandate of the caretaker government, his team had managed to achieve significant results on complex tasks. Bulgaria Shuts Four Illicit Medicine Websites in Interpol Operation 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-05-07 14:02:01 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law