Greek authorities have detained four Bulgarian nationals near the town of Farsala in southern Thessaly on charges of kidnapping, human trafficking, and the exploitation of their fellow citizens, according to reports from ERT and BTA.
The group includes two men, aged 26 and 48, and two women, aged 24 and 44. They are accused of forcibly holding other Bulgarians and subjecting them to labor and sexual exploitation on agricultural farms in the area.
The case came to light last week after two Bulgarian men contacted the 112 emergency number for help. They explained that about a week earlier, seeking work, they had connected with a fellow Bulgarian through an online application. The two were taken to Greece by him and an accomplice, who confiscated their personal documents. Once in the Farsala region, they joined four other Bulgarians who reported to police that they had been promised work but had not been paid and were kept in harsh and unsanitary living conditions.
Authorities also reported a separate incident involving a Bulgarian woman who stated that in December 2025, three of the suspects had kidnapped her from her village in Bulgaria and transported her to Greece. She alleged that she was prevented from contacting her relatives and was sexually assaulted by the 48-year-old man and an elderly individual who had paid for the assault.
All four suspects were arrested on February 21, with victims’ personal documents recovered from their possession, marking a significant step in the investigation into the trafficking and exploitation network.