Plovdiv's appeal court has upheld the pre-trial detention of Turkish national Mehmet Tashni, who is charged with trying to smuggle 57 kg of marijuana through the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing. Haskovo district court had already ordered the same measure. This report follows our earlier story on the charges against a Turkish national for carrying 57.040 kg of marijuana through the same crossing.

Tashni was detained on September 24, when officers checking the truck he was driving found four shopping bags holding 53 clear plastic packets of marijuana. The drugs are valued at 466,625 euros.

The court said the evidence gives reasonable grounds to believe Tashni was involved in the crime, and that a lighter measure would risk him fleeing or committing another offense. The court also pointed to a pattern of Turkish nationals released under lighter measures later failing to show up when summoned, saying this further supports the risk that he might abscond.

Under the law, attempted drug smuggling carries a prison term of 3 to 15 years and a fine of 10,000 to 100,000 levs.