Penalties imposed in proceedings regarding drug-related crimes reported by the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Bulgaria (2015 – 2025)

Prevalence of psychoactive substance use Prevalence of medication use Prevalence of drug use Drug Prevention

Treatment Supply Treatment Demand Health consequences Harm reduction

Drug-related crimes Drug market Drug use and prison Monitoring of publications Attitudes to legal framework changes

Total number of penalties imposed in proceedings regarding drug-related crimes over the period 2015-2025

Classification under the Penal Code	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Total number	2701	3351	3708	3781	4339	4404	5056	4611	5387	5375	5918
Art. 242 (total)	71	115	86	63	67	59	76	84	78	71	85
Art. 242, para. 2	33	54	49	37	52	31	56	66	64	60	70
Art. 242, para. 3	11	2	6	0	1	4	4	3	0	0	2
Art. 242, para. 4	27	59	31	26	14	24	16	15	14	9	12
Art. 242, para. 9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1
Art. 354a – 354c (total)	2630	3236	3622	3718	4272	4345	4980	4527	5309	5304	5833
Art. 354a (total)	2439	3090	3449	3581	4129	4186	4810	4374	5134	5177	5671
Art. 354a, para. 1	609	684	849	781	1012	1012	1084	1008	1084	1115	1161
Art. 354a, para. 2	134	159	199	191	222	208	266	187	279	313	301
Art. 354a, para. 3	984	1399	1418	1534	1675	1685	1878	1737	2012	1865	2161
Art. 354a, para. 4	0	0	0	77	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Art. 354a, para. 5	712	848	983	998	1220	1281	1582	1442	1759	1884	2048
Art. 354b	2	0	0	0	1	3	5	0	2	3	2
Art. 354c (total)	189	146	173	137	142	156	165	153	173	124	160
Art. 354c, para. 1	159	129	159	123	114	140	148	142	142	107	133
Art. 354c, para. 2	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	2	0	2
Art. 354c, para. 3	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	8	6	5
Art. 354c, para. 5	29	17	13	12	27	16	17	11	21	11	20

Number of imprisonments (effective sentences) imposed in proceedings regarding drug-related crimes over the period 2015-2025

Classification under the Penal Code	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Total number	444	556	627	547	692	759	862	782	878	839	1019
Art. 242 (total)	34	61	45	31	33	23	36	29	29	30	39
Art. 242, para. 2	14	24	24	17	25	9	27	21	23	26	30
Art. 242, para. 3	4	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1
Art. 242, para. 4	16	37	20	14	7	13	9	8	6	4	7
Art. 242, para. 9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Art. 354a – 354c (total)	410	495	582	516	659	736	826	753	849	809	980
Art. 354a (total)	387	483	560	505	643	727	804	734	830	795	967
Art. 354a, para. 1	147	137	205	146	217	247	256	226	239	260	274
Art. 354a, para. 2	62	81	92	78	110	97	123	95	115	104	128
Art. 354a, para. 3	174	259	256	275	309	365	403	386	461	411	543
Art. 354a, para. 5	4	6	7	6	7	18	22	27	15	20	22
Art. 354b	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Art. 354c (total)	23	12	22	11	16	9	22	19	18	14	13
Art. 354c, para. 1	23	11	22	9	14	9	22	19	16	11	12
Art. 354c, para. 2	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	1
Art. 354c, para. 3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Art. 354c, para. 5	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0

Number of conditional sentences imposed in proceedings regarding drug-related crimes over the period 2015-2025

Classification under the Penal Code	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Total number	911	1136	1187	1238	1380	1339	1584	1415	1561	1510	1582
Art. 242 (total)	11	21	15	5	10	11	12	27	18	13	13
Art. 242, para. 2	8	17	9	5	10	9	10	24	15	9	13
Art. 242, para. 3	3	2	2	0	0	2	2	1	0	0	0
Art. 242, para. 4	16	2	4	0	0	0	0	2	3	2	0
Art. 242, para. 9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Art. 354a – 354c (total)	900	1115	1172	1233	1370	1328	1572	1388	1543	1497	1569
Art. 354a (total)	794	1023	1081	1161	1297	1242	1487	1314	1454	1436	1489
Art. 354a, para. 1	293	332	360	393	457	429	530	467	482	457	483
Art. 354a, para. 2	33	24	53	47	47	45	50	21	64	88	58
Art. 354a, para. 3	447	644	630	664	727	696	818	721	806	799	866
Art. 354a, para. 5	21	23	38	57	66	72	89	105	102	92	82
Art. 354b	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	1	2	0
Art. 354c (total)	106	92	91	72	73	84	84	19	88	59	80
Art. 354c, para. 1	99	90	89	72	71	83	82	19	81	59	75
Art. 354c, para. 2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Art. 354c, para. 3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	3
Art. 354c, para. 5	6	2	1	0	2	1	2	0	3	0	2

Number of probation sentences imposed in proceedings regarding drug-related crimes over the period 2015-2025

Classification under the Penal Code	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Total number	60	62	49	46	67	62	53	47	43	60	80
Art. 242 (total)	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Art. 242, para. 2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Art. 242, para. 3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Art. 242, para. 4	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Art. 354a – 354c (total)	60	62	49	46	66	62	53	47	43	60	80
Art. 354a (total)	50	58	42	38	57	53	44	39	39	53	69
Art. 354a, para. 1	16	29	19	11	17	20	19	13	16	20	11
Art. 354a, para. 2	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
Art. 354a, para. 3	24	26	17	22	35	28	21	23	21	19	29
Art. 354a, para. 5	10	3	6	3	4	5	4	3	2	14	28
Art. 354b	2	0	0	0	1	1	3	0	0	0	2
Art. 354c (total)	8	4	7	8	8	8	6	8	4	7	9
Art. 354c, para. 1	5	3	2	6	3	3	3	4	0	2	3
Art. 354c, para. 5	3	1	5	2	5	5	3	4	4	5	6

Number of fine sentences imposed in proceedings regarding drug-related crimes over the period 2015-2025

Classification under the Penal Code	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Total number	1201	1486	1692	1733	1931	2017	2285	2107	2589	2710	2985
Art. 242 (total)	26	33	26	26	23	23	27	27	26	28	33
Art. 242, para. 2	11	13	16	14	17	11	18	20	21	25	27
Art. 242, para. 3	4	0	3	0	0	1	2	2	0	0	1
Art. 242, para. 4	11	20	7	12	6	11	7	5	5	3	5
Art. 354a – 354c (total)	1175	1453	1666	1707	1908	1994	2258	2080	2563	2682	2952
Art. 354a (total)	1126	1419	1614	1662	1865	1944	2205	2031	2503	2640	2895
Art. 354a, para. 1	139	169	249	190	282	284	247	276	319	352	361
Art. 354a, para. 2	37	53	51	59	63	65	87	69	96	114	112
Art. 354a, para. 3	318	430	447	490	499	500	517	507	580	526	611
Art. 354a, para. 4	0	0	0	77	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Art. 354a, para. 5	632	767	867	846	1021	1095	1354	1179	1508	1648	1811
Art. 354b	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Art. 354c (total)	49	34	52	45	43	50	52	49	60	42	57
Art. 354c, para. 1	31	23	45	35	25	40	40	42	41	33	42
Art. 354c, para. 2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
Art. 354c, para. 3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	3	2
Art. 354c, para. 5	18	11	7	10	18	10	12	7	13	6	12

Number of other penalties imposed in proceedings regarding drug-related crimes over the period 2015-2025

Classification under the Penal Code	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Total number	85	111	153	217	269	227	272	260	316	256	252
Art. 242 (total)	0	0	0	1	0	2	1	1	5	0	0
Art. 242, para. 2	0	0	0	1	0	2	1	1	5	0	0
Art. 242, para. 3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Art. 242, para. 4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Art. 354a – 354c (total)	85	111	153	216	269	225	271	259	311	256	252
Art. 354a (total)	82	107	152	215	267	220	270	256	305	253	251
Art. 354a, para. 1	14	17	16	41	39	32	32	26	28	26	32
Art. 354a, para. 2	2	1	3	5	1	1	6	2	4	7	2
Art. 354a, para. 3	21	40	68	83	105	96	119	100	144	110	112
Art. 354a, para. 5	45	49	65	86	122	91	113	128	132	110	105
Art. 354b	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Art. 354c (total)	3	4	1	1	2	5	1	3	3	2	1
Art. 354c, para. 1	1	2	1	1	1	5	1	3	3	2	1
Art. 354c, para. 5	2	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0