Two Bulgarian men, aged 45 and 48, have been charged after trying to smuggle 4.56 kg of marijuana worth €37,303 through the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing, the regional prosecutor's office in Haskovo said. Prosecutors say the men had no permit for the drug, which is classed as high-risk.

The supervising prosecutor ordered them held for up to 72 hours.

On 18 October, a Bulgarian-registered car drove towards the exit to Turkey. After a tip-off from the organised crime directorate (GDBOP), customs officers pulled it aside for a thorough search.

Behind the hybrid battery, they found a hidden compartment with six plastic bags of dry green plant matter. A field test showed it was marijuana.

Prosecutors say the evidence gathered so far shows the 45-year-old drove the car and carried out the offence. They say the 48-year-old incited and aided it.

Prosecutors will ask the court to hold both men in custody.

A Turkish citizen charged with trying to take 57 kg of marijuana worth €466,625 through the same crossing is also in custody. The Haskovo regional court ordered this in late September, and the Plovdiv appeals court upheld the order in early October.