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Bulgaria, U.S. deepen drug enforcement cooperation

Xinhua, January 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

A building that will house Bulgaria's drug enforcement officers and their international counterparts opened here on Thursday with the aim to facilitate their cooperation.

Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Rumiana Bachvarova said at the opening ceremony that the facility, built with an investment of nearly 2 million U.S. dollars provided by the U.S. government, was a symbol of the very good partnership between Bulgaria and the United States.

The results are impressive, and consist of thousands of kilograms of seized drugs, said Bachvarova, who is also minister of the interior.

Ivaylo Spiridonov, head of the Bulgarian Chief Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, said multinational criminal groups had been carrying out activities in the region such as drug trafficking, arms smuggling and illegal migration.

To counter these activities, Bulgaria deepened and strengthened cooperation with U.S. law enforcement agencies including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Spiridonov said.

Based on the joint success and professional relationships, the DEA opened a regional office in Bulgaria in April 2012, he added.

Kyle Williamson, DEA's director for the Middle East region, echoed that the concept of this building represented a 20-year relationship between the DEA and its Bulgarian law enforcement counterparts, as well as their joint commitment to future cooperation.

At present, many investigative tools are available, and many of them very sophisticated, Williamson said.

"However, the most successful investigative tool we have is our ability to build partnerships, maintain a friendship, collaborate and share information," he said. Endit