Customs officers seized cannabis worth more than 1 million BGN at Kalotina BCP

Nearly 73 kg of cannabis were seized by customs officers at Kalotina checkpoint, the Customs Agency said on August 15. The value of the narcotic substance amounts to about BGN 1.15 million.

Around 2.00 p.m. on 14 August, a cargo vehicle arrived at the border crossing from Serbia - a tractor with a semi-trailer attached, with Turkish registration plates. The driver presented documents for transporting engines for cars, the press centre of the Prosecutor's Office in Sofia reported. A physical check was also carried out, during which customs officers found 10 plastic bags filled with packets containing dry herbal mass. A field drug test revealed that the contents reacted to cannabis.

Evidence was collected in the course of the investigation. The 31-year-old driver, a Turkish national, was charged with smuggling a narcotic substance through the country. For this offence, the law provides for a penalty of 10 to 15 years' imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 to 150,000 BGN.

The Sofia District Prosecutor's Office has been informed by the Customs Agency of a pre-trial proceeding for an offence under Article 242, paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code - illegal transportation of a high-risk narcotic substance across the country's border.

The accused is detained for up to 72 hours, and the supervising prosecutor will submit to the court a request for a detention in custody.