site.btaMarijuana Worth EUR 5.5 Mln Seized at Lesovo Border Checkpoint

An attempt to smuggle nearly 700 kg of marijuana from Bulgaria to Turkiye via the Lesovo border checkpoint was thwarted on the night of January 16-17. The value of the drug is estimated at EUR 5.5 million, said representatives of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, the Customs Agency and the Yambol District Prosecution Office. The information was presented on Monday, during a briefing at the Yambol Regional Directorate of the Interior.

Head of the Lesovo border checkpoint, Iliya Iliev, said that this is the largest quantity of marijuana seized at Lesovo since the checkpoint was opened in 2005.

The narcotic substance was discovered during a specialized operation by GDCOC and the Customs Agency. The marijuana was concealed in 1,186 vacuum-sealed packages hidden inside wooden panels in an outbound lorry. An expert examination is pending, but it is likely a high-quality hybrid of marijuana with a high tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content, said GDCOC Deputy Director Senior Commissioner Emil Borisov.

Yambol District Prosecutor Doychin Doychev said that the driver is a 55-year-old Bulgarian citizen from the northeastern Shumen region. “At this stage we are still assessing his involvement in the transported cargo. He is cooperating with the investigation and has no prior criminal record,” Doychev added. Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in the case. The offence carries a penalty of between five and 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine ranging from BGN 20,000 to BGN 100,000, Doychev added.

The GDCOC Deputy Director also recalled a foiled attempt to smuggle 739 kg of marijuana worth more than EUR 6 million via the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint ten days earlier. Asked whether there was a link between the two cases, he said that at this stage no such connection can be established. “The companies involved are completely different. In the previous case it was more likely a transit shipment, while in this case the investigation will focus on cargo originating from Bulgaria,” Borisov said.

Stefan Bakalov, head of the National Customs Agency Department for Combating Drug Trafficking, said that over the past few years, marijuana trafficking to Turkiye has increased by more than 30%–40%.