Bulgaria seizes heroin worth €35 million en route from Kyrgyzstan

14:52, 13 августа 2024, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency

Bulgarian authorities have seized some 436 kilograms of heroin at the Black Sea port of Burgas. Associated Press reported, citing the district prosecutor’s office.

The heroin was stashed in 434 packages hidden inside officially declared cargo in a trailer. The drug haul’s value is estimated at €35 million.

As reported, the trailer had arrived at the end of July on a land route from Kyrgyzstan to the Georgian Black Sea port of Batumi, from where it crossed to Burgas.

From Bulgaria, it was supposed to continue to Alexandroupolis in Greece.

The trailer, supposedly transporting cable-laying machines, raised suspicion due to its unusually long stay at the port, anti-drug unit chief Ivan Sokolov told reporters, adding that an X-ray inspection led to the discovery of the concealed heroin.

«So far, there have been no arrests, and no persons found involved in this cross-border crime,» district prosecutor Georgi Chinev said.

Drug trafficking in Bulgaria is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.