Nearly 403 kg of heroin worth more than 16.7 million BGN ( EUR 8.5 million) was seized at the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint. This has been the largest amount of heroin seized at the border crossing for the last five years, caretaker Minister of Interior Kalin Stoyanov said at a briefing.

 The drug was hidden in 156 sleeping mattresses in a truck driven by a Turkish national.

According to Minister Stoyanov, no information was received from partner services and the main approach was based on risk analysis. ''Actions are to be taken entirely in the framework of international cooperation. All channels have been activated to obtain information from the countries through which the truck has passed", Kalin Stoyanov added.

This operation comes a month after 170 kg of cocaine was seized at the Port of Burgas. The operation was announced by former Director of the National Customs Agency, Petya Bankova, who was arrested a week later and charged with involvement in an organized crime group.