Europol: Growth in Migrant Trafficking Through Bulgaria Is Disturbing

The growth of migrant trafficking through Bulgaria is disturbing, announced Europol.

The greatest number of traffickers are Turkish, but there are also many Bulgarians, Syrians, Polish, Serbs and Kosovars. About 40,000 migrant traffickers have netted nearly USD 6 B last year.

According to Europol data, there are 230 hot spots in the EU, but the main ones are outside its borders - Istanbul, Izmir, Tripoli, Benghazi, Amman, Beirut, Casablanca, Cairo and Oran.

The hot spots for illegal migration in the EU include Athens, Thessaloniki, Calais, Vienna, Budapest, Munich, Rome, Milan, Madrid, Warsaw, Paris, Hamburg and Stockholm.

According to Egyptian authorities, local traffickers charge USD 3,000-5,000 per person in order to transport them to an EU country.

Corrupt policemen and customs officials participate in the traffic, but so do employees of diplomatic and consular missions.

According to French daily Le Monde, there are at least 5 million illegal migrants in Libya alone and they number over 500,000 along the coast.