Centro de Documentação da PJ
Analítico de Periódico
CD 368
Modus operandi and trends of high-risk criminal networks for illegal immigration operating in Bulgaria [Recurso eletrónico] / Aleksandar Atanasov
European Law Enforcement Research Bulletin, Luxembourg, Special conference (Edition n. 7, 2026), p. 49-69
Edição especial da conferência n.º 7, da “CEPOL R&S Conference 2024/2025”, subordinada ao tema “Tackling the World of High-Risk Criminal Networks (HRCN)", que teve lugar em Ostia (Roma), nos dias 25 a 27 de março de 2025.
TRÁFICO DE PESSOAS, MIGRAÇÃO ILEGAL, CRIME ORGANIZADO, REDE CRIMINOSA, MODUS OPERANDI, BULGÁRIA
This article aims to explore and represent the currently exploited trends and strategies of organised crime groups active in Bulgaria and involved in the smuggling of illegal migrants across Europe as part of a larger high-risk criminal network. It details the prevailing trends and specific mechanisms employed in these criminal activities over the past three years, relying on a methodology of data analysis of different text sources and the professional experience of the author. The topic of the paper is researched from the perspectives of criminology, law enforcement and intelligence. The study identifies five primary factors – the geosocial factor, the local factor, the foreign factor, the factor of criminal and non-criminal actors and the geopolitical factor – that influence the characteristics of criminal groups engaged in illegal immigration, as observed in Bulgaria. These factors offer insights for enhancing operational and strategic responses to counter emerging threats posed by high-risk criminal networks of illegal immigration. The research emphasises the different organisational levels and operational functions of these criminal groups and their networks. It examines specific patterns of criminal activity over the past three years, including the roles of illegal migrants, their drivers, guides, field captains and middlemen and the leaders of the criminal organisations.
