A sweeping operation executed by numerous organised crime police units surrounded and searched eight homes in theVratsa village of Galiche early in the morning on November 26 2009, following a tip-off that weapons and ammunition caches were hidden in several homes, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) reported on November 26 2009.

Galiche carved out a name for itself in the past when former mayor Tsenko Chokov assumed the role of a self-appointed sheriff and administered justice by himself. He became notorious for apprehending wrongdoers and tying them up for public exposure at the "pole of shame" in the village square, BNT reported.

In the aftermath of the police operation, local residents told police that they were left with no other alternative but to keep firearms in their homes to protect themselves from burglars and attacks.

"No one protects us here, unless we do it ourselves. Last night they stole my cow with 25kg milk. They took her out of the village and butchered her. And there is no one to defend my wife at home" Petko Krustev told the police, quoted by the BNT

"I would buy a firearm. I would get one illegally if I could. They broke into my house and stole everything of value that I had," said Ivan Kazashki, another local resident.

Police reported that they unearthed firearms and ammunition in every home they searched. Rossen Ivanov from the Interior Ministry's department in Vratsa said that hundreds of items, including firearms, rifles, hunting rifles, self-made attributes and others were seized along with bundles of ammunition.

"It is obvious that that the locals here do not exactly rely on the police much, if they keep hardware in such massive quantities around," he said. Forensic specialists will investigate every seized firearm to see if it had been used in criminal activities in the past.