After three people were accused of being members of an organized criminal gang involved in migrant trafficking, the District Court in Sliven decided to toss them into the most severe pre-trial custody. The Court of Appeal in Burgas supported that judgement. They are still in detention as there is insufficient evidence of the suspects’ participation in the crime they are accused of.
The defendants are charged with belonging to an organized crime group that, between June 2020 and September 18, 2022, operated in the village of Gradec, the Kotel commune, and the areas of Burgas, Sliven, and Yambol and assisted foreign nationals in breaking the law by helping them to remain in the country or cross borders illegally. They are identified as Boyan G., Vicho H. and Nikolay H.
Given the length of the specified jail sentence and the number of participants in various locations across the nation, it suggests that the crime is well-organized, there are many participants, and there is a risk that each of the three would conceal their involvement or commit a crime.
The appellate judges determined that it was correct to determine that there is a severe risk of hiding and committing a crime and that each of the three defendants participated in the alleged joint illegal action based on the evidence gathered in the case.
All three of them have lengthy criminal records. Keeping it in mind, the court considers the case’s supporting documents sufficient to prove a genuine threat. It derives from how the crime was carried out, including the cooperation involved, the prior understanding, the use of motor vehicles, and the establishment of virtual networks of collaboration between individuals for the transportation and reception of migrants.