site.btaCocaine Worth Over BGN 400,000 Seized in Blagoevgrad During Police Operation

Cocaine worth over BGN 400,000 was seized during a specialized police operation in Blagoevgrad, Ivaylo Filipov, supervising prosecutor on the case and spokesperson for the District Prosecutor's Office, said on Thursday.

Stanislava Arabadzhieva, head of the Blagoevgrad District Prosecutor's Office, said that the operation was conducted by officers from the Interior Ministry’s General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime who busted a crime ring operating in the Blagoevgrad Region. The organized criminal group is linked to the distribution, possession, production, and smuggling of drugs. Several individuals were detained, and large quantities of high-risk narcotics were seized, Arabadzhieva explained.

Filipov added that 34 searches and seizures were carried out across the region. Various doses of cocaine and other drugs were discovered, with approximately five kilogrammes of cocaine confiscated and valued at over BGN 400,000.

Nine people were detained for 24 hours, and seven have been charged with participating in the criminal ring. The pre-trial investigation began on February 18.

Ivan Stoilov from the General Directorate of Drug Enforcement Administration said that the operation started in 2023 after authorities received intelligence about a group engaged in organized criminal activities related to the production, distribution, and possession of high-risk narcotics.

"As of February 18, we obtained information indicating that some members of this group, comprising approximately 10 people, were planning to acquire a large quantity of narcotics for distribution. We took all necessary actions to detain these individuals," Stoilov emphasized, adding that some of the suspects are well-known figures in Bulgaria's criminal underworld and even abroad.