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.

The arrests followed a police operation on November 24, 2025, targeting illegal migration. Authorities intercepted a passenger car with foreign registration on the Ruse–Pleven road, discovering eight migrants from Iran and Iraq being transported unlawfully across Bulgaria. A second vehicle, also registered abroad, was driving alongside, providing assistance and coordination for the trafficking effort.

During the pre-trial investigation, overseen by the Pleven District Prosecutor’s Office, three accomplices were identified and formally charged. All three are Georgian nationals. Prosecutors stated that there is sufficient evidence showing the men collaborated in facilitating the migrants’ illegal transit across the country.

Initially, the defendants were detained for 72 hours. During this period, the prosecutor filed a request with the Pleven District Court to impose long-term detention. The court agreed, noting that the evidence strongly indicates the three men’s involvement in criminal activity and that there is a significant risk they could flee or commit further crimes if released. Consequently, the court ordered their continued detention in custody.

The ruling can be appealed or protested under the standard legal procedures. Investigations are ongoing, led by the Pleven District Prosecutor’s Office and conducted by an investigator from the Second Pleven Regional Police Department.