Over 40 Bulgarians were arrested over human trafficking during an international operation.

Only in Bulgaria the police detained 30 people for woman and child trafficking, 24 Chassa reported. The two-day police action was part of the international Elvis Bulgaria operation, Prosecutor-General Boris Velchev said.

With the Bulgarians detained in Italy, Germany and Austria, the total number of arrests amounts to 41. Bulgarian and Italian investigation had been observing together the criminal group for over a year. Interior Minister Roumen Petkov said that this was the biggest operation in Bulgaria, executed with the help of foreign partners.

Human trafficking and organised crime are some of the critical problems Bulgaria faces on its way to EU accession, 24 Chassa reported. In its last monitoring report on the country's readiness to join the union, the European Commission criticised the ineffective anti-crime measures Bulgaria was taking.

Italy requested the extradition of the arrested criminals as the Bulgarians had violated the country's laws. Extradition of Bulgarians to countries where they have committed crimes became possible only months earlier with the changes in the Constitution.

Velchev and Petkov refused to announce the number of human trafficking victims. Petkov said that many of them left the country voluntarily, trying to reach Italy. The nationality of the victims remained unspecified.

During a news conference in Trieste it was announced that the operation saved over 100 children from 'slavery'. Most of the children, forced to pickpocket and prostitute, are aged 8 to 13. Italian media said that large number of the human trafficking victims were sold by their parents.