Bulgaria State Security Busts 2 Lawyers for Baby Trafficking

Bulgaria's State Agency for Nationals Security (DANS) busted Wednesday two lawyers over illegal baby trafficking.

The arrests were made during a joined action with the Prosecutor's Office.

The lawyers were part of a group involved in selling new born babies to Greek families whishing to adopt children.

Lawyers, Emil Kostadinov and Dilyana Stoyanova, are being held behind bars for 72 hours, pending investigation in the case. They are charged with organizing a criminal group which recruited, transported, and concealed pregnant women with the goal to sell their babies.

The lawyers, allegedly, convinced pregnant women to sell their babies for BGN 3 000 to 5 000 and then resold them to Greek families for EUR 3 0000 to 4 0000 depending on the baby's sex with boys costing more than girls.

Most of the Greek couples were listed in the adoption candidates' registry with the Justice Ministry and were under the impression they were legally adopting the children.

Babies were also sold to Bulgarian couples. In the course of one year the group sold 13 babies to Greek citizens and another 3 to Bulgarians, who paid BGN 2 0000.