The chief of police in Petrich and two other police officers, arrested two days ago, are accused of participating in a criminal group. This was announced by Sofia city prosecutor Iliana Kirilova, BTA reported. 

According to Kirilova, the detained police chief was the leader of the group, which was involved in crimes against justice, bribery and money laundering. The group demanded bribes from the city's establishments to let them know when there would be inspections in the area. In addition, they wanted a “tax” from drug dealers in the region. One of the police officers gave loans at high interest, forcing his debtors to sell apartments and cars, while another provided equipment for growing marijuana. It also became clear that during interrogation, two minors were beaten with a cable in order to extract statements from them.