Cannabis Plantation Uncovered in Pleven During Police Operation (PHOTOS)

A large-scale cannabis plantation was uncovered by officers from Bulgaria’s Chief Directorate for Combatting Organised Crime (GDCOC) during a police operation on 19 September 2025. The special operation targeted an organised criminal group involved in drug distribution and took place in the city of Pleven and the surrounding region.

The plantation has been linked to five members of the criminal group who were arrested by anti-mafia officers two days earlier.

The plantation, consisting of plants from the cannabis genus, was discovered in the vicinity of the village of Yasen. The site covered approximately 50 square metres and was equipped with an irrigation system, ladders, fertilisers, pesticides, and other implements necessary for cultivating tree-like cannabis plants of various hybrid strains.

The plants measured an average of 2.5 metres in height, with stems 10–15 cm thick, each bearing multiple large, well-developed flower clusters. Samples were collected for laboratory testing, and the green mass was destroyed.

photos by GDCOC

The operation was carried out jointly with officers from the Pleven Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior under the supervision of the Pleven District Prosecutor’s Office. A pre-trial investigation has been opened.

The discovered plantation is directly linked to the ongoing investigation into the activities of the drug distribution group, whose five members were arrested by GDCOC in Pleven and charged by the prosecutor’s office two days earlier.

The investigation is ongoing.