Bulgaria seizes cocaine in diplomatic car

Sofia, July 20 Bulgarian law enforcement authorities at the country's Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint near the border with Turkey have seized 205.94 kg of cocaine hidden in a diplomatic car, officials said on Sunday.

This was the largest amount of cocaine seized at Bulgaria's land borders, the National Customs Agency (NCA) said in a press release.

The Land Rover with diplomatic license plates, driven by a 43-year-old Bulgarian citizen, arrived at the checkpoint on Friday.

Two other passengers were travelling in the car from Belgium via Bulgaria to Turkey: a 40-year-old man, a citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo with diplomatic status, and a 54-year-old woman with Belgian citizenship, born in the Republic of Congo, the NCA said.

The vehicle underwent a thorough inspection involving a drug-sniffing dog, who pointed to four suitcases in the trunk and one in the back seat behind the driver.

The suitcases were scanned with mobile X-ray equipment, which noted unusual densities. After opening, it was discovered that instead of personal luggage, they contained a total of 179 packages of cocaine with a total gross weight of 205.940 kg, Xinhua news agency reported.

The illicit substance had an estimated court value of 22.1 million US dollars, the NCA said.

The driver and his two companions were arrested. An investigation is underway.

On March 25, Bulgarian authorities seized 40.802 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a sea container at the port of Burgas, NCA.

The drugs, with an estimated court value of 10.5 million US dollars, were discovered last Friday during a search of a ship transporting banana containers from Ecuador, the NCA said in a press release.

An X-ray scan revealed unusual density in the natural cavities of the container's refrigeration unit. Upon inspection, customs officers and border police found 35 packages wrapped in tape. Field tests confirmed the packages contained high-purity cocaine.

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