Russe Sets Records

The Bulgarian customs officers set a new record a few days ago when news broke that 67 kilos of cocaine were seized at the Danube River port of Ruse-East on May 6. According to data from the last report of the US State Department, the amount seized during the entire 2011 is only 4.6 kilos. Newspapers report that the cocaine was hidden into a secret compartment box, weighing 1.5 tons, mounted in a combine harvester, produced in Argentine, delivered to Bulgaria, ready for re-export to Germany, with a final destination – Netherlands.

This story only shows that drug trafficking doesn’t always take the shortest route. The shipment first arrived in Antwerp, setting sail afterwards for Varna, and leaving from there to Rotterdam, by river.

A Google search reveals that Argentine is one of the largest manufacturers of combine harvesters (models Mainero, Metalfor Araus, Rotania). The sender apparently lacks no funds, since the new machines are sold at roughly 200-300,000 USD each.

The new record set in Russe has a symbolic value. This fall, the National Customs Agency will be relocated to Russe, while the Agency’s current boss,
Vanyo Tanov, is a graduate of Russe University and has started his career at the First Police Precinct in the city.

Read more at:

Mediapool.bg

Dnevnik