Romanian customs officers and border police found 24 drones worth 1,011,000 lei (€188,946) in a minibus with Bulgarian plates. The Romanian Customs Authority said the vehicle was stopped this week near the toll point on the Calafat-Vidin bridge.

The driver could not show papers proving where the goods came from. Officers seized all the equipment for confiscation and fined him 15,000 lei (€2,803) for the offences they found.

Mobile teams and dog teams from the Craiova and Calafat customs offices were sent to the check, along with border police. In the cargo area they found the drones and two "smart" flight batteries.

The drones have powerful video and photo systems, including thermal cameras, and can fly at high altitude. Two of them are cargo models that can lift up to 80 kg.

The driver told officers he was travelling from Bulgaria to Germany.

The Romanian Customs Authority says drones like these are also used to smuggle cigarettes.

The minibus was taken to the Craiova Regional Customs Directorate headquarters. Officers drew up the paperwork there and put the drones and batteries into storage.