CONTEMPORARY TRANSFORMATIONS OF ILLICIT DRUG TRAFFICKING: SECURITY RISKS, CRIMINAL NETWORKS AND CHALLENGES FOR BULGARIA

The article examines illicit trafficking of narcotic substances as a multidimensional transnational security threat, with particular emphasis on the Bulgarian context. The research systematizes the conceptual, legal and institutional foundations of drug control and analyses the interaction between transnational trafficking flows, domestic distribution and production, adaptive criminal networks and emerging technological channels. The analysis covers the international and European regulatory framework, the security dimensions of drug trafficking, the role of precursors and new psychoactive substances, synthetic opioids, maritime and land routes, and the digitalization of retail distribution. Particular attention is devoted to selected Bulgarian indicators for 2024–2025 and to the implications of these developments for administrative capacity, interinstitutional coordination and risk management. The study argues, on the basis of the analysed source material, that seizures and criminal-case statistics alone do not adequately capture the security dimension of the phenomenon. A more comprehensive perspective requires assessment of vulnerabilities along the entire criminal supply chain and integration of law-enforcement, customs, judicial, financial, technological, health and preventive capacities.