SOFIA, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian authorities have busted a six-member organized criminal group responsible for blackmailing and money laundering, the Ministry of Interior and national Prosecutor's Office said in a joint statement on Friday.
During the operation, the authorities searched houses, offices and bank vaults, and seized over 35 kg of gold coins, many of them with numismatic value, 565,000 euros (some 634,000 U.S. dollars) in cash and six luxury cars, acquired through criminal activities, the statement said.
The authorities have also gathered a lot of evidence about money laundering and use of fake documents, it said.
The evidence gathered so far indicated that the gang has been acting since January 2017, and has been blackmailing a businessman trying to usurp his business, the statement said.
The investigation is ongoing.
