Bulgarian authorities disrupted international drug trafficking ring, seized drugs with estimated street value of 4.6 million BGN

An international drug trafficking ring was disrupted in an operation by the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (GDBOP), the Border Police, and the Customs Agency on March 4. During joint actions by the three services at "Kapitan Andreevo", border crossing over 50 kilogrammes of drugs — cocaine and synthetic cannabinoids — were found.

The drugs, valued at over 4.6 million BGN, were being transported from Western Europe to Turkey. A German national was arrested.

Atanas Kurtov, head of the DGBOP Plovdiv department: "The operation was led by GDBOP, in collaboration with the Border Police and the Customs Agency. At the 'Kapitan Andreevo' checkpoint, a minibus with a German registration number was stopped for inspection. A request for a thorough customs check was made by the Border Police, and it was carried out by Customs Agency officers, during which around 24 kilogrammes of cocaine and about 27 kilograms of synthetic drugs were found."

Valeri Staykov - Head of Operational Unit at the checkpoint Kapitan Andreevo: "After performing an X-ray scan, unusual densities were detected in the floor of the cargo minibus. A subsequent inspection revealed five covers in the floor, which were designed to conceal hidden compartments. From there, about 24 kilogrammes of cocaine and 26 packages containing synthetic cannabinoids, or MBC synthetic cannabis, were retrieved. This is one of the types of drugs used in vaping devices."