The estimated street value of the largest drug shipment seized on Friday at the entrance to Burgas exceeds 12 million euros. During an inspection of a truck arriving from the Trakia motorway, law enforcement authorities discovered 110 packages containing over 100 kilograms of cocaine and another 230 packages with nearly 200 kilograms of marijuana. According to investigators, the shipment was intended for the Turkish market. The truck driver, from Sofia, has been charged with the distribution of high-risk narcotics and is being held for 72 hours; on Monday, magistrates will decide whether to keep him in permanent custody.
This case is part of a series of operations that have led to the seizure of more than 500 kilograms of drugs in the region over the past month and a half. This alarming statistic is the reason why District Prosecutor Georgi Chinev is pushing for a significant strengthening of measures by law enforcement agencies. A similar attempt to export drugs to Turkey was thwarted by Burgas anti-mafia units at the end of August, when men from Nessebar and Sofia were arrested. During a planned attempt to transport the shipment across the maritime border using an underwater drone, authorities confiscated over 100 kilograms of drugs—a load with an official value of over 1 million euros, which would have reached 5 million euros on the black market in the neighboring country.
Here are the other key events from the period:
- In early June, during a joint operation in the Yambol and Burgas regions, an organized crime group was dismantled, and over 250 kilograms of marijuana, valued at over 2 million euros, were seized.
- Just a day later, during an investigation into an arson attack on a trailer near Burgas, an additional 10 kilograms of cannabis were discovered, and a man was charged with the arson.