1,277 pre-trial proceedings for trafficking have been initiated since the beginning of 2023, Minister of Interior Kalin Stoyanov announced at a forum in Brussels. This is 60% more in comparison to the same period of 2022. More than 90% of the persons involved in the trafficking networks operating on the territory of the country are not Bulgarian citizens.

Nearly half of all pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in recent months after new legislative changes came into force. In the period August to October, more than 400 buses, trucks and cars used to transport migrants were seized. The number of convictions for human trafficking also increased by 31%. 809 persons have been convicted for the first 9 months of the year. The number is three times higher in comparison to 2021.