Send to Kindle
Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry has detained members of a large-scale organized crime group in Sofia in a special operation codenamed “Octopus” carried out overnight.
Bulgaria’s Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov announced early Wednesday morning that the special operation codenamed “Octopus” started as an inspection of night clubs in Sofia and grew into a full-fledged raid including a number of premises such as homes and offices all around Sofia.
“The “Octopus” special operation has been launched in order to find and arrest the members of an extremely well structured hierarchical organized crime group dealing with blackmailing, racketeering, prostitution, illegal draining of funds from the Kremikovtzi steel plant, drug dealing, money laundering, trading in influence, and a number of other crimes. This organized crime group has been functioning for ten years,” Minister Tsvetanov said.
He made it clear that a number of persons have been arrested without specifying their exact number. Tsvetanov stated that the Octopus special operation was a continuation of “The Impudent” special operation in which 30 men were arrested and 10 of them detained permanently for being part of a high-profile kidnappers’ gang.
The Minister mentioned the name of Anton Petrov, aka the Hamster, who is believed to have been one of the leaders of the kidnappers’ gang, as being involved with the organized crime group busted in the Octopus operation.
The Hamster was released on a BGN 20 000 bail at the end of January 2010. He was not found at the address where he was supposed to be residing, and is currently wanted by the police.
Tsvetanov also mentioned another man nicknamed “The Tractor” with initials A.P. who is among the arrested in the overnight operation. Unconfirmed reports say "The Tractor" is former secret agent Aleksei Petrov.
Men nickmaned as The "Dambovtsi" Brothers who are reported to have been in control of the draining of the Kremikovtzi steel-maker, have also been arrested.
In his words, the operation is still going on all around Sofia including the raiding of premises located in the downtown as well as in the suburbs.
Fourteen people have been formally charged for their role in the violence that broke out during the December 1 protest in central Sofia
The Sofia Directorate of the Interior (SDVR) confirmed that 71 individuals were detained following the protests in front of the National Assembly on the evening of November 27, 2025
Shortly after 10 p.m., tensions on Dondukov Boulevard in Sofia rose sharply, marking the escalation many had anticipated
Checkpoints are being set up across central Sofia ahead of the evening protest, with the Sofia Directorate of the Interior preparing for a large turnout and the possibility of provocations
Early Thursday morning, two fatal accidents occurred on Sofia’s Metropolitan Ring Road, resulting in the deaths of a pedestrian and a police officer
The Ministry of Interior in Bulgaria has announced plans to purchase 405 4x4 SUVs and 285 motorcycles to equip its Sofia and regional directorates
A large-scale police operation involving the special unit “Cobra” is underway in Sofia’s Lyulin district, as well as at several other locations across the capital, according to NOVA sources.
Fourteen people have been formally charged for their role in the violence that broke out during the December 1 protest in central Sofia
At the request of the Pleven District Prosecutor’s Office, the Pleven District Court has ordered the pre-trial detention of three men, citizens of Georgia, who are accused of migrant trafficking
Handcuffed and with his head bowed, 24-year-old Juney Dyulgerov appeared before the Plovdiv District Court in connection with the tragic traffic accident on the Plovdiv Ring Road
The 23-year-old son of a prominent businessman from Madan, Bulgaria, was violently killed and his body discarded in a local river, the Smolyan District Prosecutor's Office confirmed
In Sofia’s “Studentski Grad” neighborhood, a minor was fatally stabbed following a violent altercation in front of a local restaurant
Bulgaria's Strategic Role in the EU's Drone Wall Defense Initiative
When Politics Means Violence
