A British tourist has found himself ensnared in an unexpected ordeal in Bulgaria, asserting he was unlawfully held at an immigration facility for two weeks. This surprising predicament arose after he approached local authorities to report his passport as stolen.
Robert Weaver, a 38-year-old pilot from Birmingham, recounted that what was supposed to be a brief, three-day getaway turned into an unsettling two-week detention. During this time, he was cut off from his family, and his professional life teetered on the brink as he nearly lost his job.
Weaver had embarked on a solo journey to Bansko, a ski resort town in Bulgaria, in October 2025. His purpose was to explore a potential property investment near this bustling holiday destination.
Staying at a local bed and breakfast, Weaver’s plans took a sharp turn on the morning of his planned departure. He discovered that his passport, which had been securely stored in the room’s safe, was missing.
Faced with this alarming situation, Weaver first reported the disappearance to the owner of the accommodation. He then took the logical next step, heading across the street to the nearby police station to formally report the theft.
Reflecting on the incident, Robert shared, “My passport was stolen from my hotel room, so I went to report it at the police station across the road.”
‘The police asked me to verify my identity, I told them that would be a bit difficult with my passport missing, but that I had copies of my identification online.’
Despite providing details of his return flight and explaining that he had previously lived in Bulgaria, Weaver claims officers said they could not confirm who he was.
Instead, Weaver said he was placed in a cold police cell with no access to toilets or drinking water.
Robert Weaver said he was locked up in a Bulgarian detention centre after reporting that his passport was missing
During his time in detention, he says he was not allowed to contact his family and nearly lost his job
‘I gave them my flight number as well, so that they could verify my identity with the immigration officers at Sofia airport,’ he said.
‘I also had a property in Bulgaria a few years ago, and was a resident, so it would have been very easy for them to verify my identity.’
The following day, he was transferred to an immigration detention facility.
At the centre, Weaver claims he was confined to a cell with six other detainees, given one meal a day, which was ‘basically just rice’ and allowed just 20 minutes outside.
‘I shared a cell with six people and if you wanted to use the toilet, you had to ask the guards to take you to a hole in the ground,’ he said.
Weaver said he repeatedly asked to contact his wife and father but was denied phone access throughout his detention.
‘I spent two weeks in there, and wasn’t allowed to call my wife or my father to let them know I was OK,’ he said. ‘I almost lost my job, as they couldn’t get hold of me.’
He also claimed police refused him access to a solicitor, telling him none were available.
At one point, he was told he would be taken to the British Embassy the following day, but instead, officers diverted him to Blagoevgrad, near Sofia, where his fingerprints were taken.
‘They identified me and said ‘we can see that you’re not a criminal, you’re not wanted’,’ he said.
Despite this, Weaver alleges he was then taken to Busmantsi detention centre, where he was asked to sign documents written entirely in Bulgarian.
The pilot says police refused to give him access to a solicitor, informing him that there were none available
He was eventually presented with a document in Bulgaria and ordered to sign
The detention centre in Bulgaria where Weaver says he was kept
‘I said I wouldn’t sign as I couldn’t understand the forms and I didn’t have a solicitor present, and the head of migration said to me ‘if you don’t sign here, we’re going to leave you to rot” he said.
Weaver said his ordeal only ended after a fellow detainee secretly provided him with a mobile phone, allowing him to contact the British Embassy.
‘Sofia police were actually really, really helpful, and they said they were so sorry and embarrassed and that they had no idea why I’d been detained,’ he said.
The embassy issued emergency travel documents, and Weaver returned to the UK days later.
‘My family were so relieved, my dad sounded so choked up on the phone when I told him I was safe,’ he said.
Weaver is now pursuing legal action against Bulgarian authorities, alleging unlawful imprisonment.
