Bulgaria in international operation in Europe and Asia against firearms trafficking

Bulgarian customs officers seized 73 counterfeit handguns at the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing with Türkiye, as part of Trigger X, a first-of-its-kind police operation targeting illicit firearms trafficking across Europe and Central Asia, the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) said on October 9.

The handguns were discovered in a lorry carrying car parts to western Europe, with 23 concealed under the driver’s mattress.

Counterfeit firearms aim to imitate genuine models, using falsified markings to further obscure their origin and complicate identification and tracing, making them attractive to criminal networks.

Trigger X resulted in the seizure of 2823 small arms and light weapons, almost 400 hand grenades and explosives, and over 40 000 pieces of ammunition.

The EU-funded and Interpol-coordinated Operation Trigger X took place between June 22 and July 5 across 17 countries and highlighted the long-term impact of conflict stockpiles on firearms trafficking, FPI said.

Operation Trigger X was conducted under the European Union Project I ARMS V and the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs I-FORCE Project with additional support from the European Support to Strengthen the Fight Against Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking in Human Beings in the Western Balkans – EU4FAST Project – European Union.

With investigations ongoing, currently available operational results from Operation Trigger X indicate that a substantial amount of the illegal weaponry seized was linked to former or ongoing armed conflict zones, including the Balkan region, Eastern Europe and Nagorno-Karabakh. Multiple Soviet-era firearms were also seized or voluntarily surrendered in Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. 

In addition to seizures, participating authorities reported 152 arrests related to firearms possession or trafficking, as well as other crimes and offences such as drug trafficking, migrant smuggling and robbery. A total of 15 individuals subject to Interpol Notices were intercepted, including five fugitives wanted internationally under Red Notices. One individual, who was detained by authorities in Georgia, is wanted by Türkiye on suspicion of murder. 

Information collected during the operation indicates that conflict areas are also destinations for both legally declared and illicit firearms. In one major seizure at the Lesovo border crossing between Bulgaria and Türkiye, customs officers impounded two heavy goods vehicles containing over 1000 military-grade shotguns.  

Harald Arm, Executive Director of Police Capabilities at Interpol said: “Operation Trigger X has revealed the high-level risk of weapons that are used in armed conflicts being diverted into organized crime channels, where they are used to commit other crimes.” 

“These seizures demonstrate the importance of coordinated international action to identify trafficking routes, dismantle criminal networks and prevent illicit firearms from reaching those who seek to use them for criminal purposes.” 

A total of 268 hand grenades were also seized during the operation, with Serbia reporting the largest single seizure, recovering 68 grenades trafficked from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Authorities in Serbia also discovered a clandestine workshop converting gas and starter guns into firearms. A search of the premises led to one arrest and the seizure of dozens of pistols and pistol parts, as well as 280 rounds of 9mm ammunition. 

In addition to illegal firearms and hand grenades, Operation Trigger X led to the seizure in Bulgaria of 20 inflatable dinghies. Labelled as inflatable mattresses bound for a western European country, intelligence suggests that the shipment was linked to criminal networks involved in migrant smuggling and intended for use in clandestine English Channel crossings.   

Five irregular migrants were also intercepted in North Macedonia, while border police in Serbia detained a sixth in the region close to the border with Hungary. This individual was in possession of an automatic rifle and several rounds of ammunition.   

Other items seized during the operation included several different types of illicit drugs, such as cocaine and marijuana, counterfeit cigarettes and undeclared textiles and food products.  

“Operation Trigger X shows what EU support makes possible: 17 countries working side by side, thousands of illicit weapons removed from circulation, and trafficking routes exposed,” FPI said.

“By backing international police cooperation, the EU is helping to keep weapons from past and present conflicts out of criminal hands, making Europe and its partners safer,” it said.

(Photo: The 73 counterfeit handguns concealed in a lorry that were seized at the Bulgaria-Türkiye border: Interpol)