Bulgarian law enforcement authorities have detained 12 illegal immigrants crammed in a Mercedes SUV, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The immigrants were discovered on Sunday, after a traffic police patrol tried to stop a Mercedes ML 320 on Maritsa motorway, which connects Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint at the border with Turkey with Trakia motorway.
The driver, a 31-year-old Bulgarian, did not obey the order, continued his way and shortly afterwards left the vehicle, trying to escape, but was finally arrested with the help of a tracker dog, the ministry said.
The foreigners, all under the age of 30, were crammed on the rear seats and in the trunk, it said.
Without any identity documents, they claimed that they are citizens of Afghanistan, and admitted that they crossed the border illegally, the ministry said.
In 2018, the Interior Ministry arrested 689 illegal immigrants trying to enter Bulgaria. (Xinhua/NAN)