Customs officers seized more than 400 parcels of drugs hidden in vapes, sweets and lollipops yesterday, the Customs Agency said. The parcels were in a courier company's warehouse.

The products contain more than 10 types of synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabinoids. Customs says the main recipients are young people and teenagers.

The checks are part of Operation Hydra, run by the agency's anti-drug trafficking department. Since it began in May, officers have seized more than 5,000 parcels of drugs and opened many pre-trial proceedings.

Customs officers and the cybercrime unit of GDBOP, Bulgaria's organised crime directorate, restricted several websites based in Bulgaria.

The parcels come from an EU country and skip the usual border checks and customs clearance. End buyers order them, and websites in European countries with looser rules sell the products legally or in a legal grey area. Under local laws they may be sold only on site, but the free movement of goods and parcels in the EU sends them to other member states too.

Customs works with some courier companies to find the parcels and stop them before they enter Bulgaria.