site.btaNew Laboratories for Testing Drivers’ Blood Samples for Alcohol, Drugs Open in Plovdiv, Burgas

Two new laboratories for processing drivers’ blood samples for alcohol and drug use will open in Plovdiv and Burgas on Monday, the Interior Ministry said in a press release.

Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev will attend the opening of the laboratory in Plovdiv.

Construction of another new laboratory in Varna is also at an advanced stage, the Interior Ministry said, adding that the aim is to optimize the time needed to process blood samples.

In late June, Demerdzhiev said that additional laboratories capable of testing drivers’ samples for narcotic substances are expected to be operational from August 1. He highlighted the lack of laboratories capable of testing blood samples for narcotic substances and explained that, when he took office, he had been told that such facilities would not be available for another 12 months. He stressed that he had immediately ordered the deadlines to be shortened.