The Bulgarian authorities have cracked down on a organized crime group dealing in bringing in illegal migrants into the country and smuggling them to Western Europe, the Ministry of the Interior announced on Wednesday.

Six Bulgarian citizens and an Afghan national legally residing in the country had been detained for 72 hours on 2 February in a joint operation of police, the prosecuting authorities and DANS homeland security agency, the Ministry of the Interior said in a statement.

More than 40 illegal migrants awaiting to be smuggled out of Bulgaria were also detained in the operation conducted in the regions of Burgas, Pazardzhik, Blagoevgrad and Pernik. Their nationalities were not disclosed.

Criminal charges were brought on Wednesday against the detained people smugglers who had been operating since January 2015, according to the statement.