National Customs Agency

Customs officers at Kapitan Andreevo BCP discovered a record amount of nearly 740 kg of marijuana worth over BGN 11.8 million during an inspection of a cargo vehicle leaving the country. This is the largest amount of marijuana seized by the National Customs Agency in 2025.

Today, representatives from the Customs Agency, the District Prosecutor's Office in Haskovo, and the Ministry of Interior announced the case during a joint press conference. Among those participating were Ivan Stoyanov, the district prosecutor of Haskovo; Ivan Paskov, Deputy Director of the TD Customs Burgas; Stefan Bakalov, Head of the Drug Enforcement Department (Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate); Filip Nikolov, Head of Kapitan Andreevo BCP; Atanas Kurtov, Head of the South Bulgaria department of the Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime of the Ministry of Interior; and Chief Inspector Yani Peychev, Head of Kapitan Andreevo BCP.

On September 11, 2025, an hour before midnight, a cargo composition consisting of a tractor and a semi-trailer with German registration arrived at the "Outgoing Freight Vehicles" lane of the checkpoint. The driver – a Turkish citizen, presented documents for the transported cargo – a milling machine, from Germany to Turkey. Following a preliminary risk analysis by the employees of the Drug Enforcement Department at TD Customs Burgas, the customs officer performing document control and measuring the axle load of the vehicle with an electronic scale directed the composition for physical control. During the subsequent inspection, 20 cardboard boxes and 22 textile bags wrapped in transparent and black foil were found in the front part of the cargo hold between the front wall and the declared cargo, containing 656 vacuum-packed packages with green herbal substance. The conducted field drug test reacted positively for marijuana with a total weight of 739.180 kg. The value of the seized marijuana is BGN 11 826 880 according to prices for the needs of the judicial system.

Ivan Paskov, Deputy Director of the TD Customs Sofia, stated that the attention of the employees was drawn by the fact that the cargo was transported with a company seal rather than a customs seal. The truck was also of an unconventional size, which was another sign for its selection.

Stefan Bakalov, Head of the Drug Enforcement Department, added that the value of the Turkish black market for the seized marijuana is many times higher, as well as that marijuana is the most seized drug at the border with Turkey. The quantity seized in this case is the largest found at Kapitan Andreevo BCP in the last 15 years.

The participants in the briefing emphasized the effective collaboration between the institutions, recalling a series of joint actions that led to the seizure of large quantities of narcotic substances.

A pre-trial investigation has been initiated by an investigating customs inspector under the supervision of the District Prosecutor's Office – Haskovo. The accused is a 49-year-old Turkish driver with the initials N.K. The crime is classified under Article 242, paragraph 4 in connection with paragraph 2 and Article 18, paragraph 1 of the Penal Code.

The driver has been detained for a period of up to 72 hours under an order from the supervising prosecutor. Today, September 15, 2025, the District Prosecutor's Office in Haskovo submitted a request to the court for a detention measure of 'preventive custody' against him.