The owner of Vinprom Karnobat Minyu Staykov and 9 other Bulgarians have been detained within the frameworks of an operation of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office against organized crime croup over money laundering and tax fraud. Searches are taking place in offices of Vinprom Karnobat, the wine and liquor maker SIS Industries and Topaz Mel. According to the prosecution, the tax fraud occurred between 2009 and 2018 when real trade companies have falsified their accounting registers in order to evade paying VAT. On July 18 the Police and the Specialized Prosecution Office found an illegal factory used by the crime group for the manufacture of tobacco products. According to the prosecution, the money from illegal activities may have been laundered through the winery. It is still difficult to say what damage was caused on the state budget.