Turkish customs officers at the Kapıkule - Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint have discovered nearly 1.2 tons of drugs in two separate operations during an attempt to illegally import them into Turkey, BTA reported.
According to information from the Turkish state television and radio TRT Haber, which referred to a statement from the Turkish Ministry of Trade, in the first operation a TIR truck that arrived at Kapıkule from Kapitan Andreevo was subjected to an inspection of the X-ray scanning system for motor vehicles based on risk criteria.
The inspection of the vehicle showed the presence of suspicious cargo, on the basis of which teams from the Customs and Anti-Money Laundering Service Drug Trafficking Unit of the Ministry of Trade have undertaken a thorough search of the TIR.
The inspection revealed 450 packages allegedly containing cannabis, with a total net weight of 526 kilograms and 327 grams.
During the second operation at the border crossing, related to another TIR entering Turkey, after scanning and subsequent inspection of the motor vehicle, 530 packages with drugs weighing 626 kg and 944 grams were discovered.
The value of the seized drugs is 6.5 million Turkish liras (nearly 121,000 euros).
The drivers of the two TIRs have been handed over to the judicial authorities in Edirne for detention in custody. The investigation into both cases, which is being conducted by the Republican Prosecutor's Office in Edirne, continues.