site.btaCustoms Intercept 1,000+ Narcotics Shipments Ordered Online, Some Picked Up by Unaware Parents

Customs officers have seized over 1,000 shipments of narcotics in various forms, purchased online, during Operation Hydra, said Thursday Stefan Bakalov, Deputy Director of the Customs Agency, and Desislava Petrova, spokesperson for the Sofia City Prosecution Office. Operation Hydra was carried out in response to the massive increase in drug trafficking via online shipments, primarily ordered by teenagers and children, Bakalov said.

Petrova added that the number of intercepted shipments was certainly alarming, but even more concerning were cases where parents went to receive parcels ordered by their children, apparently unaware of the contents.

As the Anti-Drug Trafficking Department identified parcels at various courier companies over a period of two weeks, the operation will continue over the next few days.

The 1,050 seized parcels contained cannabis in vapes, cannabis electronic cigarette refills, gummy candies, cookies, and others with no description of the goods on the waybills. The parcels were sent through courier companies from European countries via online e-commerce platforms where the possession of narcotics is not strictly prohibited, Petrova said.

Petrova called on parents to monitor exactly what their children are ordering and where they are ordering it from, noting that in some countries the regulations are much more lenient and allow for easy access to dangerous substances.

Petrova said that in Bulgaria all activities involving narcotic substances are strictly prohibited and are punishable as a crime.

The Deputy Director said that all parcels ordered through online platforms are inspected by customs and police authorities and stated that any shipment containing a narcotic substance will not be allowed on the market, regardless of how difficult it may be to detect.

Bakalov said that no arrests had been made until now due to the large number of parcels, but that all necessary measures have been taken. European police and customs services, the Ministry of Interior and the General Directorate Combating Organized Crime, have been notified to take action within their respective jurisdictions to stop any shipments that can be ordered online and accessed by children.