A court in Karnobat has ordered Manol Dimitrov, 58, to stay in custody. He is charged with illegally making cigarettes. The court said the measure is "detention in custody".

Bulgaria's organised crime agency GDBOP, the Border Police and the State Agency for National Security (DANS) found the factory on Thursday. A man from Karnobat was detained the same day.

Background: GDBOP, Border Police and DANS find illegal cigarette factory near Karnobat

The Burgas District Prosecutor's Office charged him with making tobacco products without a proper licence in order to distribute them. Prosecutors announced the charge earlier on the day of the court ruling.

The three warehouses in Karnobat housed a full production line. Investigators seized about 12 tonnes of tobacco, machines for processing tobacco and making cigarettes, blanks marked with well-known brands, and 5 master boxes of finished product.

Early information suggests the cigarettes were to be sold in Bulgaria and across Europe, most likely in Western and Central Europe.