site.btaNearly 73 kg of Cannabis Seized at Border with Serbia

Customs officers have seized nearly 73 kg of cannabis worth some BGN 1.15 million at the Kalotina checkpoint on the Bulgarian-Serbian border, the National Customs Agency said on Thursday.

A vehicle, registered in Turkiye, arrived from Serbia at the Kalotina checkpoint at around 2 a.m. on August 14. The driver, a Turkish national, 31, presented documents indicating that he was transporting car engines, the Sofia Appellate Prosecution Office said. During an inspection of the cargo, the customs officers found 10 plastic bags containing a dry herbal mass that reacted as cannabis during a field drug test.

The driver has been charged with smuggling a narcotic substance through the country. The criminal offence is punishable with imprisonment for 10 to 15 years and a fine of up to BGN 150,000.

The accused, identified as D. T., has been detained for up to 72 hours.