Turkish national Mehmet Tashni remains in custody after the Haskovo district court ordered him held on remand. He is accused of trying to smuggle 57.04kg of marijuana worth 466,625 euros across the border.

Tashni was driving the truck when he was stopped on 24 September at the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing with Turkey. Officers found four shopping bags holding 53 clear plastic packets of the drug hidden among boxed goods in the truck.

The court said the evidence so far gives grounds to believe the defendant took part in the crime. Judges also pointed to the sentence the charge carries, which they said shows how serious the offence is.

The charge carries a prison term of 3 to 15 years and a fine of 10,000 to 100,000 leva.