Successful operation against treasure hunting in the Central Balkan National Park
21 July 2025
On Saturday, July 19, employees of the Central Balkan National Park Directorate (CBNP) conducted an operation against treasure hunters in the area of Gorni Polenitsi in the security section "Vidima" of the park section "Stokite". Information about the presence of people with treasure hunting devices within the Park was received from the Directorate's camera traps, whereupon the park security officers on duty immediately headed to the location.
After their quick reaction, three offenders were caught with a scanner and a pickaxe. Later, a metal detector was also retrieved from the nearby ravine, which the offenders had thrown away in an attempt to conceal their intentions. In order to reach the Gorni Polenitsi area, the individuals entered the Park with their car on a road prohibited for motor vehicle access, according to the Management Plan (MP) of the CBNP, 2016 - 2025. Both acts - the import and use of a metal detector and the movement, stay and parking of a vehicle outside the marked and designated roads and parking lots with free access, without appropriate coordination of the activity, constitute violations of the prohibitions of the Management Plan of the protected area.
The devices and tools used to commit the violation were confiscated, and the violators were issued with acts establishing an administrative violation.
The Director of the Directorate, Georgi Krastev, and his employees are working hard to prevent violations in the National Park. Direct patrols and the constant presence of park guards in the Park are part of the work of the employees of the National Park Service and are carried out daily, but unprecedented assistance is provided by technical means of surveillance, through which major violations are once again prevented.
After their quick reaction, three offenders were caught with a scanner and a pickaxe. Later, a metal detector was also retrieved from the nearby ravine, which the offenders had thrown away in an attempt to conceal their intentions. In order to reach the Gorni Polenitsi area, the individuals entered the Park with their car on a road prohibited for motor vehicle access, according to the Management Plan (MP) of the CBNP, 2016 - 2025. Both acts - the import and use of a metal detector and the movement, stay and parking of a vehicle outside the marked and designated roads and parking lots with free access, without appropriate coordination of the activity, constitute violations of the prohibitions of the Management Plan of the protected area.
The devices and tools used to commit the violation were confiscated, and the violators were issued with acts establishing an administrative violation.
The Director of the Directorate, Georgi Krastev, and his employees are working hard to prevent violations in the National Park. Direct patrols and the constant presence of park guards in the Park are part of the work of the employees of the National Park Service and are carried out daily, but unprecedented assistance is provided by technical means of surveillance, through which major violations are once again prevented.
