Three men were arrested in a specialized police operation on Varna /on the Black Sea/ territory on charges of trafficking humans from Bulgaria to France with the purpose of sexual exploitation, the Border Police Chief Directorate said on Tuesday.

Participating in the operation, carried out Monday, were two French policemen and a judge-investigator from Bordeaux. Searches were performed at seven addresses on the territory of Varna, BTA is reporting.

It has been established that 14 Bulgarian women of age were involved in the ring. In the March-September 2007 period they remitted large sums from France to Bulgaria through Western Union.

Another 18 persons were arrested on French territory as five of them were committed to the Bordeaux gaol. The operation was carried out under the guidance of the Varna District Prosecution Office and the Varna District Investigative Service in fulfillment of an international court order, placed by the Bulgarian Supreme Cassation Prosecution Office.

The investigative and procedural activities on the case continue, the press release says.