20th Jul 2025
As a result of Operation Orient Express, customs officers at the Kapitan Andreevo Customs office seized drugs hidden in five suitcases. This is the largest quantity of cocaine ever seized at Bulgaria's land borders.
On July 18, 2025, a Land Rover with diplomatic plates, driven by a Bulgarian citizen, arrived at the Kapitan Andreevo BCP. Two other passengers were traveling in the car from Belgium through Bulgaria to Turkiey: a man, a citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo with diplomatic status, and a woman with Belgian citizenship. As part of the operation, the vehicle was selected for a thorough customs inspection by customs officers from the Anti-Drug Trafficking Department. Raya, a customs service dog trained to sniff out drugs participated in the check and she directed the attention to four suitcases in the luggage compartment and one on the back seat behind the driver. The suitcases were scanned with mobile X-ray equipment, which detected unusual densities. After opening them, it was found that instead of personal luggage, a total of 179 packages containing a white powdery substance were hidden inside. A field drug test showed a reaction to cocaine. The driver and the two passengers were charged. The prosecutor's office is expected to request their permanent arrest.
When institutions work together, the results are good and we prove that Bulgaria is protecting the EU's borders, said the Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova.
The Minister of Interior Daniel Mitov emphasized that the operation was entirely Bulgarian, with the active participation of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime. Coordination with partner services has already been established, as the organized crime group was operating within the EU.