Bulgarian authorities detained 46 people suspected in human smuggling in a large-scale operation of the police, the State Agency for National Security (DANS) and the prosecutor's office.
This was announced by the Chief Secretary of the Interior Minister, Georgi Kostov on Friday, daily Dnevnikinforms.
During the operation more than 9702 people, 5209 vehicles and 955 houses, hostels and other places of accommodation were searched, private bTV station reports.
The authorities detained 501 illegally residing foreigners in the country, coming mainly from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.
Twenty weapons of different calibre were also seized.
Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov said that for the first time the three institutions acted on the territory of the whole country and managed to achieve good coordination.
The authorities worked in three directions – uncovering human traffickers, mass checks on the territory of the whole country and checks in the main places of accommodation – Sofia, Dragoman, Vidin and Montana.
Kostov informed that 37 Afghan citizens were detained in a building of a company specialising in industrial ventilation.
Another 41 people without identity documents claiming to be from Pakistan and Afghanistan were arrested on Trakia motorway.
Another 19 foreign citizens without identity documents were detained in a cargo carriage at the train station in Svilengrad.
More than 1600 interior ministry officials and equipment were involved in the operation.
A DANS official was detained on suspicions of disclosing classified information to a criminal group carrying out trafficking of illegal immigrants.
Earlier on Friday, two Interior Ministry officials were arrested on allegations of corruption practices.