site.btaAuthorities in Burgas Discover Cocaine Worth BGN 19 Mln in Shipping Container Full of Bananas

Customs officers from the Burgas Customs Territorial Directorate discovered 40.802 kg of cocaine in a shipping container carrying bananas from Ecuador, the Customs Agency said in a press release on Tuesday. The estimated value of the seized cocaine is some BGN 19,000,000 based on court pricing. The narcotic substance was found during a thorough customs inspection.

The Customs Agency's press release reads that, in recent days, two ships loaded with containers of bananas from South America arrived at the port of Burgas. The recipients were Bulgarian companies whose main business is banana trade. All containers underwent checks, including X-ray scanning and physical inspections.

On March 21, 2025, while scanning one of the containers from Ecuador using specialized X-ray equipment, customs inspectors detected an unusual density in the cavities of the container’s refrigeration unit. Officers from the Customs Agency’s Drug Trafficking Prevention Department, together with Border Police officers, conducted a physical inspection. After removing the covers of the refrigeration unit on the outside of the container, they discovered 35 packages wrapped in duct tape. The packages contained a white, crystalline substance, which reacted positively for high-purity cocaine during field drug tests. The total gross weight of the cocaine is 40.802 kg.

A pre-trial investigation has been launched by a Customs investigating officer under the supervision of the Burgas District Prosecutor’s Office.