The trafficker Husein Khair, detained with the record amount of nearly 403 kg of heroin at the Bulgarian-Turkish border, will remain in custody. This was decided today by judge Anna Petkova from the District Court – Haskovo.
The drug worth BGN 16,727,377.92 was discovered at the “Captain Andreevo” checkpoint in a truck driven by the 64-year-old Turkish citizen. In the courtroom, it became clear that the truck was loaded in Iran on April 2, and according to documents it was carrying 156 sleeping mattresses. He passed through Azerbaijan. Arrived in Turkey, where the driver left the tractor in a parking lot and went home to his family for Ramadan Bairam. On April 15, he hooked the tug again and drove off. On April 17, he was stopped at the Kapu Kule border crossing, where he underwent a thorough check. There his goods were unloaded and the control lasted 30 hours, but nothing wrong was found. Upon entering Bulgaria, he was once again subjected to a thorough customs check, during which the tape-shaped packets of heroin, hidden in the factory-sealed mattresses, were detected on the X-ray. Thus, the driver was detained and the prosecutor’s office in Bulgaria charged him with drug smuggling in particularly large quantities.
Today, the prosecutor in the case, Darina Slavova, pleads for the most severe measure of remand, “detention in custody”, to be imposed on him. The state prosecutor expressed the opinion that there is no chance that the driver was not aware of the hidden drug, the quantity of which is a record for the last 5 years at the “Captain Andreevo” checkpoint.
“It is illogical to entrust such an expensive cargo to a person who has no idea about it, as there is a danger of his arbitrary behavior on the road, which put the cargo at risk,” stated Darina Slavova. She specified that Hussein Khair arrived at the checkpoint in Bulgaria at the exact time when the customs officials are changing and it is assumed that the control will not be so strict. He explained that the crime is punishable by 15 to 20 years in prison and a fine of 200,000 to 300,000 BGN.
The defender of the accused – lawyer Gergana Karadjonova requested that her client be released on a “cash guarantee” measure. According to her, he is a victim. That’s what he himself said. The man specified that he has no property in his name, but added that if he returns to his homeland, he will take out a loan for the possible guarantee. He also said that he has three children – 12, 13 and 14 years old. He worked for the company in question for 10 years.
In the end, judge Anna Petkova decided that the Turkish citizen should remain in custody until the criminal case against him begins. The ruling is subject to appeal before the Court of Appeal in Plovdiv on April 30.
Aneta Kutelova
Tags: shipment heroin mattresses loaded days crossed borders
