Category: Bulgaria

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Website used for child pornography, prostitution and drug dealing taken down with support of Eurojust

Source: Eurojust

An online platform known for facilitating various crimes was taken down by the French authorities, in cooperation with Bulgaria, Germany Lithuania, the Netherlands and Hungary. The authorities had been investigating the digital platform since December 2023. During an action day on 24 June the servers located in Germany were seized and disconnected and over EUR 5.6 million of criminal funds were frozen.

The website was used for many years to facilitate a range of criminal activities, in particular for child pornography, sexual exploitation, drug dealing, ambushes and even homicides. Criminals were able to send messages and connect with other criminals active in their criminal activities.

Since 2021, more than 23 000 judicial procedures have been initiated involving the online platform. At least 480 victims of the platform have been heard during these judicial procedures. Investigations into the platform were started by French authorities in December 2023. These investigations showed that the platform was concealing and facilitating transactions for organised crime groups and was enabling criminal activities such as pimping and paedophilia.

A coordinated action to take down the website was carried out with the full support of Eurojust. The authorities seized the servers located in Germany, which resulted in the platform being disconnected and the display of a splash page. The Lithuanian and Hungarian authorities ensured the swift execution of freezing orders, which led to the freezing of over EUR 5.6 million in criminal funds.

At the same time, a European Investigation Order (EIO), issued from France, was successfully executed in Bulgaria. All investigative actions have been carried out in presence of French magistrates and officials from the Law enforcement authorities of France upon authorisation by the competent Bulgarian authorities. As part of the execution of the EIO, bank statements were  revealed, searches and seizures were carried out and witnesses were questioned.

The actions were carried out by the following authorities:

  • France: PPO Paris JUNALCO (National Jurisdiction against organised Crime) Cybercrime Unit; Gendarmerie Nationale – Cybercrime unit; ONAF (Anti Fraud National Office)
  • Bulgaria: Sofia City PPO and General Police Directorate Combating Organised Crime
  • Germany: Public Prosecutor’s Office Limburg; Hessian State Criminal Police Office
  • Hungary: Budapest IX. District Public Prosecutor’s Office
  • Lithuania: Vilnius Regional Prosecutor’s Office
  • The Netherlands: Public Prosecutor’s Office Amsterdam
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Eurojust coordinates searches of offices of international car tyre manufacturer

Source: Eurojust

Eurojust has assisted the authorities in France, Belgium and Luxembourg with a series of coordinated searches of premises and offices of an international tyre manufacturer. These searches took place this week at the request of the judicial authorities in Besançon in France, in the context of investigations into involuntary manslaughter linked to technical failures that led to tyre explosions.

The investigations in France concern a series of accidents between 2011 and 2016, which allegedly led to the death of three lorry drivers. The investigations are looking into whether the tyre producer was aware of potential failures and whether the company had addressed the technical issues or not.

Eurojust was asked by the French authorities in 2023 to provide legal advice on the cross-border aspects of the investigations and to coordinate judicial actions in various EU Member States. For this purpose, the Agency has set up a coordination centre at its premises in The Hague to assist the authorities concerned with the investigations and simultaneous searches in France, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Investigations into the case are ongoing and the Agency stands ready to assist the authorities concerned with any future requests for cross-border judicial cooperation.

The operations that took place this week were carried out by:

  • France: Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) of Besançon; Gendarmerie Nationale – Criminal Investigation Department Amiens, National Cyber Support and Intervention Section, Criminal Investigation Department Versailles
  • Belgium: Investigative Judge at Court of First Instance of Antwerp, section Turnhout; PPO Antwerp, section Turnhout; Federal Judicial Police Antwerp
  • Luxembourg: Investigative Judge at District Court of Luxembourg; Grand Ducal Police – Police Judiciaire
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Five criminals behind multi-million pound benefit fraud convicted in the United Kingdom with support from Eurojust

Source: Eurojust

Five members of an organised crime group (OCG) responsible for the largest ever fraud against the United Kingdom benefit system have been convicted. The suspects, all Bulgarian nationals, have pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering offences at the Wood Green Crown Court. The damage caused by the scam is estimated at more than GBP 50 million (EUR 58 million).

The Agency supported the case and assisted the UK and Bulgarian authorities in setting up and funding a joint investigation team (JIT) into the case.

Between October 2016 and May 2021, the OCG made thousands of false claims for Universal Credit (UK social security payment) using either real people or hijacked identities. These claims were supported by an array of forged documents, including fictitious tenancy agreements, counterfeit payslips and forged letters from landlords, employers and GPs. If the claims were rejected, the fraudsters would try again and again until they were granted.

The money gained from these fraudulent claims was then laundered by moving it between several accounts through numerous transfers.

In some cases, the OCG leaders recruited people from Bulgaria, obtained their identity documents and paid them a share of the proceeds from the false benefit claims made on their behalf. The recruits then returned to Bulgaria with the proceeds of their crimes, which alerted the Bulgarian authorities.

The suspects were first arrested in the United Kingdom on 5 May 2021. Following his release under investigation, one of the five defendants fled to Bulgaria. As a result of collaborative work between the UK and Bulgarian authorities, the suspect was extradited back to the United Kingdom on 25 February 2023 to face justice.

The case was opened at Eurojust in June 2021 at the request of the UK authorities. Two coordination meetings were hosted by the Agency to coordinate the national investigations and discuss judicial cooperation matters, including the surrender of suspects and asset recovery.

A JIT was set up between the UK and Bulgarian authorities with the support of Eurojust in January 2022. The JIT has enabled the direct exchange of evidence between authorities, especially banking evidence, to support the recovery and confiscation of assets.

The following authorities took part in this investigation:

  • Bulgaria: District Prosecutor’s Office- Sliven
  • United Kingdom: Crown Prosecution Service, Department for Work and Pensions
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Support to arrest 22 suspects forcing female victims into prostitution

Source: Eurojust

Specific members of the OCG used the so-called ‘lover boy’ method, pretending to engage personally with women from a poor background in Bulgaria and other countries in Eastern Europe and promising them good job opportunities in Italy. In reality, their passports were taken away and the victims were forced into prostitution in Italy in dire conditions.

The OCG had a clear division of roles, with certain members being responsible for luring the victims to Italy and others taking care of transport and controlling them, occasionally under extreme duress.

The Italian authorities started investigating the OCG in 2021, and a year later Eurojust was contacted to coordinate the cooperation with their counterparts in Bulgaria, via the National Desks of both countries at the Agency.

Eurojust provided support with the execution of European Investigations Orders and requests for Mutual Legal Assistance, as well as the setting up of a coordination meeting. During the joint action day, assistance was also provided to the three competent Bulgarian Prosecution Offices in order to rapidly execute European Arrest Warrants for seven of the suspects, who were residing in Bulgaria.

The tracing and arrest activities in Bulgaria were carried out via the European Network of Fugitive Active Search Teams, specifically by the Bulgarian team, upon activation by their counterparts in Italy, which provided constant information.

The operations on the ground were carried out at the request of and by:

  • Italy: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Lecce; Italian State Police HQ of Lecce; Fugitive Active Search Team (FAST) Italy, at the Service for International Police Cooperation (SCIP) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
  • Bulgaria: FAST Bulgaria, at the General Directorate of the National Police – Wanted and Missing Persons Unit.
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Crackdown on criminal network dealing with online investment fraud

Source: Eurojust

Judicial and law enforcement authorities in Germany, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Sweden have carried out a coordinated action against an organised crime group suspected of online trading fraud. The network defrauded numerous victims for several millions of euros in Germany and other European countries.

During a joint action day supported by Eurojust and Europol, four suspects were arrested and thirteen places were searched.

The suspects allegedly belong to a hierarchical criminal network with numerous members. The suspects ran several fraudulent online trading platforms from call centres and other locations in Cyprus. The perpetrators presented themselves as investment advisors and convinced victims to invest large amounts of money based on fake promises of profits.

The damage caused to German victims by the two main platforms is estimated at EUR 3.3 million and EUR 164 000, respectively. The total damage caused by the platforms is likely to be many times higher. Eurojust assisted the investigations by organising a coordination meeting and setting up a coordination centre to facilitate rapid cooperation between the judicial authorities during the joint action day. The Agency also assisted with the transmission and execution of six European Arrest Warrants and several European Investigation Orders.

Europol supported this case by hosting and financing several operational meetings as well as the action day. Furthermore, it provided analytical support and financial intelligence during the investigation. On the action day, a Europol specialist with a mobile office and a universal forensic extraction device (UFED) were deployed to Cyprus, while colleagues back in The Hague offered technical support for the virtual command post.

The following authorities took part in this investigation:

  • Germany: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Göttingen; Centre for Cybercrime, Police Göttingen
  • Bulgaria: Sofia City Public Prosecutor’s Office; General Directorate Bulgarian National Police
  • Cyprus: International Police Cooperation Sub-Directorate – Police Cooperation Bureau Cyprus Police
  • Sweden: Swedish Police Authority