More than 40 kg of cocaine found in a shipment of bananas at port of Burgas

A total of 40.802 kg of cocaine was found in a sea container with bananas from Ecuador. The value of the seized drug is approximately 19,000,000 Bulgarian BGN based on production prices. The narcotic substance was discovered during a thorough customs inspection.

Two ships loaded with containers of bananas from South America have arrived in the port of Burgas in recent days. The recipients are Bulgarian companies whose main activity is trading in bananas.

All containers undergo a thorough customs inspection with X-ray and physical checks.

Last Friday, during a scan with specialized X-ray equipment, customs inspectors detected unusual density in the natural cavities of the refrigeration unit of one of the banana containers from Ecuador.

Customs officers from the "Fight Against Drug Trafficking" department, in cooperation with Border Police officers, conducted a physical inspection. After dismantling the caps of the refrigeration unit on the outer side of the container, they discovered 35 packages taped up with adhesive tape. It was confirmed that the packages contained a white crystalline substance. Field drug tests showed that the substance in the packages tested positive for high-purity cocaine. The total gross weight of the cocaine was 40,802 grams.

An investigation has been initiated by a customs inspector, under the supervision of the Burgas District Prosecutor’s Office.

The check is part of joint efforts between the Customs Agency and the Border Police Directorate to enhance control at Bulgaria's external borders.

Photos by Bulgarian Customs Agency