- New sniffer dogs, trained handlers and specialist equipment provided by UK Government to intercept more small boat supplies and illegal narcotics before they reach the UK
- Joint operations between the UK National Crime Agency and Bulgarian authorities saw 91 small boats and six engines intercepted in Bulgaria in 2025.
- The new dogs build on the success of the UK-supported detection dog Adele, who intercepted 48kg of cocaine at Bulgaria’s southern border last week.
The UK is expanding its cooperation with the new Bulgarian Government to combat organised migration crime, helping to protect Europe’s borders from the impact of smuggling gangs.
The new support was announced by Minister for Europe, Stephen Doughty, during meetings in Sofia with the new Bulgarian Government which took up office last week.
From September, three new sniffer dogs will be deployed in frontline border operations to detect and intercept small boat equipment and other smuggled goods, increasing coverage at priority border crossings and strengthening European resilience against evolving smuggling tactics.
The new dogs will build on the success of the UK-supported detection dog Adele, who supported Bulgarian law enforcement to intercept 48kg of cocaine at their southern border last week.
With its southern border one of the busiest entry points into the EU, Bulgaria already seizes more small boats than any other country. Alongside Romania, the Balkan country became the most recent state to join the EU’s Schengen Area in 2025, which allows people and goods to move freely through the zone without internal border checks.
UK Minister of State, Stephen Doughty said
Our cooperation with Bulgaria is delivering real results, stopping threats long before they reach the UK. Last year alone, our joint work intercepted 91 boats, with the potential to transport thousands of people in dangerous journeys across the Channel.
That’s why I’m in Sofia, to expand that partnership and ensure European security remains at the heart of our work with the new Bulgarian government. Building a closer relationship with the EU is a priority for this government, as stronger partnerships with EU countries means greater security and growth at home.
While in Sofia, Minister Doughty saw first-hand the work of the Bulgarian law enforcement effort. Alongside sniffer dogs, the UK has provided drones to track illegal migrants crossing through Bulgaria’s mountainous terrain, and endoscopes and vehicle scanning equipment to uncover concealed contraband and people illegally trafficked in vehicles crossing the border.
The UK’s international support focuses on early prevention and disruption, breaking criminal supply chains and strengthening borders long before threats reach the UK.
The bolstering of supplies on the Bulgarian border follows events last week in Moldova, where Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper secured agreement from 46 European partners on critical reforms to modernise how the ECHR handles migration cases, strengthening the UK’s ability to take firm action on border security.
The NCA, alongside Home Office International Operations, works with a range of international partners to seize small boat equipment, including Europol, Bulgaria, Belgium, France and Germany. This joint work has seen more than 1,000 boats and engines seized since early 2023, preventing them from reaching criminal hands and eating into the criminal profits of organised crimes groups. More than 500 of these were seized in 2025 alone.
This crucial work is part of the UK government’s drive to cement stronger relationships with the EU, and the UK’s whole-of-route approach to stopping small boats making it to the Channel, undermining the vile business network of criminal gangs and saving lives.
National Crime Agency Head of Region, Kenny Dron, said
Bulgaria is a key partner for the NCA in tackling a range of threats from serious and organised crime, and we have an extremely positive relationship with our law enforcement colleagues there, regularly sharing intelligence and mounting joint operations.
I’m delighted we are able to expand our work with them, and the deployment of these new dogs will further increase our ability to disrupt the criminal networks threatening the security of both of our nations.
Background
The three additional sniffer dogs currently being trained in the UK are a labrador named LUNA, a springer spaniel named CALLIE, and springer/cocker spaniel cross named SPROCKIT.
