WSJ: Bulgaria and Smugglers Escalate Their Migrant-Trafficking Battle

"More hardened criminals" are taking on the lucrative task of shifting migrants in Bulgaria as border patrols stiffen, the Wall Street Journal says.

While the crackdown on "smugglers, drivers and even fellow officers" done by Bulgarian police has helped moderate the flow of migrants into Europe, stricter border controls (not without help from the EU) have brought new risk.

"We've thrown migrants into the hands of organized criminals," Philip Gounev, Deputy Interior Minister, is quoted as saying.

Government actions along the borders are beginning to yield results, with the number of migrants trying to cross falling by half between January and August compared to the same period of last year.

The WSJ's story is available here.

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