Authorities in 34 countries and Europol arrested 27 people and found 248 victims of human trafficking in a week. The crackdown on labour exploitation ran from 14 to 20 September 2026. Officers from Bulgaria's organised crime directorate (GDBOP) took part, the directorate said.
Sweden led the operation, which is part of the European Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT). Europol and the European Labour Authority (ELA) joined in. Border guards, labour and social security inspectors and tax officers worked on the ground.
They checked farms, building sites, hotels, beauty salons and massage parlours. Investigators also found trafficking for sexual exploitation, begging and domestic work, as well as other forms.
The arrested suspects include citizens of Hungary, Vietnam, Montenegro and the Netherlands. Another 86 people were detained for related crimes, including illegal employment and prostitution.
Most victims are from Vietnam, China, India and the Philippines. Men make up 73% of them and worked mainly in construction (28%), hotels (21%) and farming (8%). Women were exploited most often in beauty salons and massage parlours.
About 5% of the victims are minors. GDBOP says they were forced to beg or to work in construction, or were made to submit to sexual coercion.
Vanya Georgieva, a senior expert at Bulgaria's National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, told BTA in September that Bulgaria had more than 60 reports of trafficking victims, identified officially or unofficially, in the first six months of 2026. Of these, 17 are children, both young children and minors.