Bulgarian officers from the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (GDCOC) took part in a cross-border operation targeting labour exploitation that resulted in 27 arrests and the identification of 248 human trafficking victims. The arrests were made in the span of one week by law enforcement agencies from 34 countries and Europol, DGCOC said on its Facebook page.
The operation was conducted on September 14–20, 2026, under Sweden’s leadership and as part of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), with the participation of Europol and the European Labour Authority (ELA).
Border guards, labour and social security inspectorates, and tax authorities took part in the operation to tackle exploitative practices in high-risk sectors such as agriculture, construction, hospitality, beauty salons and massage parlours. Investigators also identified cases of human trafficking for sexual exploitation, forced begging and domestic work, among other forms of exploitation.
The suspected traffickers arrested included nationals of Hungary, Viet Nam, Montenegro and the Netherlands. A further 86 people were arrested on suspicion of related offences, including illegal employment and prostitution.
The victims were mainly from Vietnam, China, India and the Philippines. Men accounted for 73% of those identified and were most commonly exploited in construction (28%), hospitality (21%) and agriculture (8%). Women were found mainly in beauty salons and massage parlours.
Minors accounted for about 5% of the victims and had been exploited for forced begging, construction work and sexual exploitation.
Bulgarian Law-enforcers Involved in Cross Border Operation against Labour Exploitation 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-23 14:56:12
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BULGARIA NEWS – NEWS AGENCY 2009–2026 2026-10-23 14:56:12
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