site.btaAttempt at Smuggling 4.3 kg of Cocaine Prevented at Kapitan Andreevo Border Crossing

An attempt to smuggle 4.3 kilograms of cocaine worth more than BGN 770,000 was prevented by customs officers from the Department for Combating Drug Trafficking at the Kapitan Andreevo border control checkpoint. The drug was found during an inspection of a truck with Turkish registration leaving the country on August 10, the press centre of the customs in Svilengrad reported. Turkish national D.Y., 55, was charged in the case, the press centre of the prosecution office said.

The truck was travelling from Romania to Turkiye via Bulgaria. A thorough customs check at Kapitan Andreevo found four packages of a white powdery substance in an additional storage cabinet for belongings and tools in the semi-trailer's storage compartment. A field drug test identified the substance as cocaine. The total gross weight of the cocaine found was 4.3 kg, valued at BGN 774,000.

D.Y. was detained for up to 72 hours by the order of the supervising prosecutor. The Haskovo District Prosecution Office is going to submit a request to the court for a detention order against him, the prosecuting magistracy said.

The previous case of attempted cocaine trafficking through Kapitan Andreevo was on August 7. At that time, two Bulgarian citizens travelling by car to Turkiye were found to be carrying a total of 8.76 kg of synthetic drugs, hidden in packets secured with an elastic belt around the bearers' waist.