Bulgarian Police Arrest 9 in 'Sheikhs' Special Op

Nine men,including four policemen, were arrested Friday morning in a special police operation called "the Sheikhs". Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Bulgaria's Interior Minister has announced that the police have busted a crime ring that has drilled a Lukoil fuel line and has been draining fuel in a tank.

On Friday morning, the Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov has announced that during a a special operation called “the Sheikhs”, the police found a truck that had a disguised tank inside, full of eight tons of gasoline.

The police have arrested nine men, four of whom were police officers.

Two of the detained police officers, Georgi Bogdanov and Dimitar Stoychev, were inspectors at the Neftohim port.

The alleged organizers of the crime ring, Valentin Atanasov from the Traffick Police, and Valentin Stanev from the regional police department in the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Burgas, have been found after they disappeared into the woodland.

The 38-year-old Georgi Ivanov has also been arrested. He has a criminal record for thefts.

The detained truck has been escorted by two cars. The 41-year-old Petar Milchev, who has been driving one of the cars, was also arrested. He has a criminal record for thefts. The other driver was the 30-year-old Stoyan Zlatev, who has 15 criminal registrations for thefts, hooliganism, poaching, etc.

The 21-year-old Kaloyan Atanasov, who does not have a criminal record, and the 68-year-old guard of the base have also been detained.

It has been established that the policemen have constructed a complicated facility from an old plumbing, through which they have been draining the gasoline. The men were equipped with night vision devices.

The operation has taken three months and has been a cooperation between the Interior Ministry, the regional police department in Burgas, the military police force and a security company, guarding the Lukoil base.

The nine men were detained for 24 hours. The investigation continues.

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