Two Bulgarian men, aged 45 and 48, have been charged with trying to smuggle 4.560 kg of marijuana worth €37,303 into Turkey through the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing, Haskovo regional prosecutors said.
On 18 October, the organised crime agency GDBOP tipped off officers about a Bulgarian-registered car leaving the country. Customs officers pulled it aside for a full search. The younger of the two men was driving.
Where it began: Two held over cannabis hidden in car bound for Turkey at Kapitan Andreevo
Behind the car's hybrid battery they found a hidden compartment. Inside were 6 plastic bags of dried green leafy material. A test on the spot showed it was marijuana.
Both men are charged with attempting to smuggle a high-risk narcotic without a permit. Prosecutors say the evidence so far points to the 45-year-old as the perpetrator and the 48-year-old as the instigator and accomplice.
The supervising prosecutor ordered them held for up to 72 hours. Prosecutors will ask the court to keep both men in custody.