A total of 19 kilograms of cocaine and 329 kilograms of marijuana were found in a truck with a Bulgarian registration at the "Danube Bridge 2" border checkpoint near Vidin. The narcotics were found during an inspection of the truck on October 8 at night, the head of the "Fight against drug trafficking" department at the "Ruse Customs" TD, Ivo Poakov, announced at a briefing.
The truck was traveling from Spain to Bulgaria and was stopped for inspection by a mobile customs patrol, which was carrying out random checks on trucks entering the country from Romania. Based on risk indicators, customs officers decided to direct the vehicle to a customs office for additional inspection, explained Ivo Poakov.
During the inspection with the help of a customs dog, a specially made cache was found in the floor of the trailer, in which 19 packages with a total of 19 kilograms of cocaine were found. During a subsequent inspection of the cargo, after depalletizing part of the goods, with the help of specialized equipment and a customs dog, 329 kilograms of marijuana were found in four pallets of peanuts, BTA reported.
The driver is a Bulgarian citizen and has been detained. He refuses to give explanations, announced the deputy district prosecutor of the District Prosecutor's Office - Vidin Vladislav Vlashev.
The recipients of the narcotics and the possible liability of the companies involved in the transport are yet to be established. A physicochemical and evaluation expertise is yet to be carried out in the case. The court is expected to rule on the measure of non-detention of the detainee.
According to data presented at the briefing, the punishment provided for in the law is from 10 to 15 years of imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 to 100,000 euros.
The director of TD “Customs Ruse“ Volodya Petrov announced that since the beginning of the year, over 500 kilograms of marijuana have been seized in the Ruse region. During joint actions with the General Directorate “Fight against Organized Crime“ hundreds of parcels with vapes and jelly candies containing narcotic substances have also been stopped.
According to him, the results are a result of the enhanced compensatory measures that the “Customs“ Agency implemented after Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen area, including in the fight against smuggling, customs violations and violations of intellectual property rights.