The police made the arrest on a freeway between the Romanian capital of Bucharest and the town of Pitesti, northwest of the Bulgarian capital Sofia. The drugs were found in the trunks of two luxury cars driven by the suspects, and their market value is estimated at €2 million (US$2.5 million).
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), heroin produced in Afghanistan accounts for 90 percent of world’s heroin supply, and brings in around US$55 billion annually on the global market. Most of the financial value accrues outside of Afghanistan itself. About a third of all heroin produced in Afghanistan is shipped to Western Europe via the Balkan route.
The suspects were placed under 24 hour arrest, but the prosecutors will seek a 29 day detention while the investigation continues.
