A joint operation of Bulgaria's Border Police and the police in Hamburg revealed that 14 Bulgarian women became human trafficking victims.

The women were illegally transported to Germany by a Bulgarian organised crime group to work as prostitutes, Focus news agency reported. Police detained the head of the crime group and two of his accomplices in Varna.

Most women came from the Varna region. None of them were minors and over 50 per cent of them departed for Germany voluntarily, deputy director of Border Service Petar Iliev said. The other women were offered jobs as maids and baby-sitters.

After arrival in Hamburg the women were forced into prostitution and their passports were taken. The organised crime group gained over 300 euro a day from each of the Bulgarians, Focus news agency reported.

Some of the women already returned successfully to Bulgaria. Police discovered sufficient evidence that the group functioned for over a year. The money was then invested in Bulgaria through purchase of property in the coastal region and through car import.