Bulgaria, UK partner in awareness campaign on risks of transporting irregular migrants in lorries

Sofia: More than 100 billboards in Bulgarian, English and Turkish about the risks of hiding illegal migrants in lorries will be placed on the main transit routes of Bulgaria in an awareness campaign by Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry and the British embassy in Sofia, the ministry said on July 10.

The campaign is aimed at lorry drivers who unwittingly or knowingly assist in the concealment of migrants.

Deputy Minister Toni Todorov said at a launch event that the transportation of illegal migrants in heavy lorries is one of the riskiest forms of smuggling.

Such actions violate the law and put the migrants themselves at risk, Todorov said.

Border Police head Anton Zlatanov said: “A few days ago, we stopped a lorry with more than 48 migrants hiding, who were in very serious condition, dehydrated due to the high temperatures, together with the Bourgas Ambulance, we managed to save them”.

He said that there were cases of migrants hiding in heavy lorries almost daily. This was extremely dangerous and often resulted in ill-health or death, he said.

All reports related to illegal migration and human trafficking are transmitted for response by the operators in the emergency number 112 centres to Border Police on duty.

The Interior Ministry statement quoted British ambassador Nathaniel Copsey as saying that this campaign is just one step, but visibility matters.

He said that human trafficking is a crime that destroys and kills human destinies. Today this message will reach people all over Bulgaria, Copsey said.