Customs officers at the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing found 221.73 kg of marijuana, packed in 196 packages, in a lorry leaving Bulgaria for Turkey, the regional press centre of the Customs Agency in Svilengrad said.

The driver is a Ukrainian citizen. The press centre of the Appellate Prosecutor's Office in Plovdiv said he has been charged and detained for 72 hours.

The marijuana was found on Monday, 12 October, half an hour before midnight, in a Ukrainian-registered tractor unit with a semi-trailer. Customs said the driver had declared a load of coniferous timber on a route through Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey.

The lorry was picked for a check under the "risk analysis" method, and X-ray equipment showed unusual density in the cargo area. In a physical search, officers from the anti-drug trafficking unit found sacks among the declared goods holding clear plastic packages of dry green herbal material. A field test confirmed it was marijuana.

Pre-trial proceedings have begun. The load is worth €1,813,899, calculated at the prices the courts use.

On 24 September, 57.04 kg of marijuana worth €466,625 was found in a lorry at the same border crossing. A 61-year-old man has been charged in that case, and on 28 September the Haskovo District Court ordered him held in custody.