site.btaCustoms Agency Seizes 500 Ephedrine Tablets at Kapitan Andreevo Border Crossing

Customs Agency officials have seized 500 medicinal tablets containing ephedrine, a precursor for the production of methamphetamine, at the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing between Bulgaria and Turkiye, the Customs Agency said Wednesday.

On August 29, a minibus with foreign registration arrived at the checkpoint, where a driver and two Kosovar passengers were travelling from Turkiye via Bulgaria to Kosovo. They told the customs officers that they had nothing to declare. The vehicle was selected for a thorough customs inspection under the "risk analysis" method, which led to the discovery of 10 bottles of 50 tablets each labelled Ephedrine in a refrigerated bag, which is described as category 1 in Council Regulation (EC) No 111/2005 on monitoring trade between the Union and third countries in precursors. 

In the course of the check, it was established that the drugs were in possession of the driver, a Kosovo national. The tablets were seized.

Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in the case by an investigating customs inspector under the supervision of the Haskovo Regional Prosecution Office.