Police chased a driver with no licence for nearly 35 kilometres after he hit speeds of 180-200 km/h at times, ran a red light and drove into oncoming traffic, said Inspector Georgi Dimitrov from traffic police at Pomorie district station. The chase began around 1:30pm on September 26 and ended near the village of Bryastovets.

Officers had spotted a Volkswagen with Lovech plates swerving on the road and wanted to stop it. They followed the car, switched on their lights and siren, pulled level with it and signalled with a baton for the driver to stop. Instead, he put his foot down and headed toward Burgas.

Near Kableshkovo a second police car joined in, but the driver still wouldn't stop. His car left the road onto a dirt track, hit a mound of earth and came to a halt.

After the crash, the two men inside tried to run off on foot. They ignored police orders, so officers used a taser, physical force and restraints. No officers or members of the public were hurt.

The driver, a 37-year-old man, has never held a driving licence, police say. He tested negative for alcohol, but a roadside drug test came back positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine. Police had already caught him driving without a licence back in 2024.

His passenger, 28, was searched and found carrying a crystal-like substance police believe is a drug. Lab tests will confirm what it is.

Both men were held for up to 24 hours and have since been released. A pre-trial investigation has been opened, and the file will go to prosecutors.