Bulgarian authorities have seized a record 206 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a diplomatic-plated luxury car traveling from Belgium to Turkey, the private IHA news agency reported over the weekend, citing Bulgarian officials.
The drugs were seized at Kapitan Andreevo, Bulgaria’s main border crossing, situated at Turkey’s Kapıkule gate, during an operation called “Orient Express.” Authorities said the street value of the drugs is estimated at 37 million leva ($22 million), marking the largest cocaine haul ever recorded at Bulgaria’s land borders.
According to Bulgarian officials, the vehicle, a Land Rover SUV, was driven by a 43-year-old Bulgarian national identified only by the initials D.H. and was carrying a 40-year-old diplomatic passport holder from the Democratic Republic of Congo, identified as Zh.M., and a 54-year-old Belgian woman, D.A. The car was flagged for inspection based on a risk analysis, and a sniffer dog reacted to four suitcases and a compartment behind the passenger seat.
An X-ray scan revealed unusual densities in the luggage, leading to the discovery of 179 packages containing a total of 205.9 kilograms of cocaine, IHA said.
As part of the investigation into the incident, prosecutors ordered that the suspects, D.H., Zh.M. and D.A., be detained and held in custody for 72 hours. They are accused of attempting to illegally transport high-risk narcotics from Bulgaria to Turkey without obtaining the necessary permits.
The operation was detailed at a joint press conference by Bulgarian Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova and Interior Minister Daniel Mitov. IHA quoted Petkova as saying the case demonstrated how effectively Bulgaria protects the EU’s borders when institutions coordinate properly, while Mitov stressed it was entirely a Bulgarian operation.
More than 100 customs and law enforcement officers were involved in tracking and stopping the vehicle, which was monitored starting from Bulgaria’s border with Serbia, according to Georgi Dimov, director of Bulgaria’s Customs Agency.
Bulgarian officials said the presence of diplomatic license plates and a diplomatic passport among the suspects was a key concern but assured that the process is being handled in accordance with international law, with possible contact with the respective foreign ministries if needed.
The investigation, led by the Haskovo Regional Prosecutor’s Office, is ongoing, IHA said, adding that the case has sparked debate in Bulgaria about whether the seizure could lead to a diplomatic row.
In a related development Belgian customs authorities seized what local press reported as “hundreds of kilos of cocaine” from the MT Scot Bremen, a Malta-flagged chemical tanker operated by İstanbul-based Scot Tankers, at the port of Zeebrugge last month.
The seizure brought the number of Turkish-owned ships caught with major drug shipments in the past three years to eight. The total drugs seized from these vessels exceed 28 tons, with an estimated street value of more than $10 billion.
According to a September report by InstituDE, a Brussels-based think tank, Turkey has become a significant hub for the global cocaine trade, with an estimated $2.9 to $5.8 billion worth of the drug passing through the country each year.
The report mentions that Turkish law enforcement agencies seized 2.84 tons of cocaine in 2021, 2.2 tons in 2022 and 2.85 tons in 2023, demonstrating significant growth in trafficking via Turkish routes.