Bulgarian customs seize 70 boats used for UK migrant trafficking

The Bulgarian authorities have confiscated nearly 70 smuggled inflatable boats at the Kapitan Andreevo border since the beginning of the year, intended to be used for illegal migrant trafficking across the English Channel.

For the second consecutive year, Bulgarian customs have once again issued orders, at the request of the United Kingdom to stop the arrival of inflatable boats.

Since 2023, nearly 200 boats have been seized from trucks at a checkpoint. The most recent case happened a few days ago when customs officers discovered 20 dinghies declared as legitimate goods.

The following incident has been closely supervised by the Head of the Operational Unit at Kapitan Andreevo, Krasimir Chapkanov who said, “After opening the truck, we found two pallets with 20 large packages each, declared as tarpaulins. Upon inspection of the first package, we uncovered inflatable rubber boats with rigid sides and reinforced bottoms.”

It has been observed that these inflatable boats are manufactured by unknown companies.

However, they are designed particularly for the operations of migrant trafficking with no certificates, warranties and documentation.

The UK has been actively providing funding to help Bulgarian authorities to immediately capture these boats before they can launch into the sea.

Keeping in line with a UK analysis, joint efforts with Bulgarian authorities not only saved at least 6100 migrant lives but dealt an estimated over €18 million in damages to organized crime gangs involved in human trafficking.