Heroin worth more than BGN 5 million has been seized by customs officers at the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint, the press office of the National Customs Agency (NCA) announced.

At around 5 p.m. on July 6 customs officers at Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint made a check on a Mercedes car entering the territory of the country from Turkey. The vehicle is registered in the Bulgarian town of Haskovo and was driven by a Bulgarian national, travelling with his family – all citizens of the town of Svilengrad.

During the check customs officers found a sealed 30-liltre container, full of a green detergent. The customs officers got suspicious and made a thorough check on the container and found several packages wrapped in brownish scotch tape. The substance found in the packages reacted on heroin.

Customs authorities alarmed the territorial unit of the general directorate for fight against organised crime in Haskovo. In cooperation with all services of the Interior Ministry authorities later on detected three other cars trafficking heroin.

Less than an hour after the first case another Mercedes car arrived at Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint. The passengers in the car were a family from the town of Svilengrad. A similar container with packages full of heroin was found in car’s luggage-carrier.

The third car of the smuggling series was a Renault Megan, registered in the town of Yambol. The driver of the car thrown away the container full of heroin close to the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint. Customs officers, however, found the container.

A citizen, who was not connected to the smuggling rind, found the container and tried to steal it. The man has been arrested.

The driver of the car, who tried to get rid of the container, has been detained in the town of Haskovo.

A total of 99 packages of heroin have been found. The heroin haul was of 51.500 kilos. Six Bulgarian nationals have been arrested.

Two foreign observers with Frontex took part in the operation.

Few hours later, following a signal sent by Border Police, authorities detained a fourth vehicle – VW mini-bus, registered in the town of Sliven, travelling with five adults and a child. Customs officers found 40 packages of disposable diapers. In one of the diapers there were 3 vacuumed backaches of heroin, wrapped in stocking and brown scotch tape. The total amount of the drug was 2.060 kilos. In four other packages, there were 300 boxes of cigarettes without excise stamps.

According to information of the Bulgarian services after the operation at Kapitan Andreevo part of the rest of the heroin was hidden in the area of the Kapikule checkpoint.

After a signal of the Bulgarian authorities the Turkish services found a container close to one of the Free Shops a fourth container, identical to the first three ones.

As a result of the joint actions on the territory of Bulgaria authorities found a total of 53.560 kilos of heroin worth at least BGN 5,088,200.

Seven people have been arrested so far.