The chief of Kalotina border checkpoint and more than 30 customs officers were arrested

[[MC]Ronin[MC]]

The chief of Kalotina border checkpoint and more than 30 customs officers were arrested

It is an organized criminal group dealing with corruption

 

 

 

Thirty people - the entire shift of customs officers, as well as border police officers - were detained at a large-scale action by the Interior Ministry and the Prosecutor's Office of Kalotina border checkpoint.

Among those arrested is the head of the Kalotina customs office, said Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev, who along with the Interior Ministry's Secretary General Ivaylo Ivanov announced details of the action.

Investigations are underway under the supervision of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office. It is an organized criminal group dealing with corruption. They were bribing people passing through the point, according to BGNES.

"It is a large-scale organization, an extremely large-scale organization," the prosecutor general said.

Interior Ministry Secretary General Ivaylo Ivanov said the implementation of the large-scale action was a fact, as the services managed to keep everything around the investigation secret.

The police operation was also joined by the Homeland Security and anti-corruption commission.

"There are more than 30 people detained - the whole shift from customs officers who are here to work, there are border police officers," the Interior Ministry's secretary general said.

The Kalotina border checkpoint was temporarily suspended in both directions. The cars traveling to the point were located in Slivnitsa and Dragoman areas.

Because of the arrests, the station was left without customs officers to change and had to be closed for hours. And from the Interior Ministry, they were distributing water to queues. However, some of the drivers and passengers were nervous about the situation.

The prosecution and police are yet to provide more information on the scheme in which the detainees operated.