Bulgarian customs authorities have intercepted more than 1,000 shipments containing narcotics concealed in vapes, candies, cookies, and lollipops during a 12-day enforcement operation that concluded in late May 2026. Anyone who's ordered a parcel through a courier service in the past fortnight already knows: the Customs Agency has been opening everything.
Operation Hydra, conducted jointly by the Drug Enforcement Directorate, the Prosecutor's Office, and the Customs Agency, revealed what officials describe as a rapidly expanding method of drug trafficking through EU-based e-commerce platforms. The seized parcels were ordered by recipients across Bulgaria.
What Was Seized
1,050 shipments containing narcotics were intercepted during Operation Hydra, according to Deputy Sofia City Prosecutor Desislava Petrova. The narcotics included dry herb mass, cannabis, THC-infused vapes, and lollipops, all ordered via online platforms operating across European countries.
Deputy Director of the Customs Agency Stefan Bankov confirmed that officers identified the shipments within 12 to 13 days, stating that concealment methods have become increasingly sophisticated. The parcels were sent from various EU countries through commercial courier services, disguised as ordinary consumer goods.
Bankov emphasised that all parcels ordered through online channels in Bulgaria are subject to customs checks, and any shipment containing illegal substances is intercepted before reaching the market. The interception rate during Operation Hydra suggests a significant volume of narcotics flowing through e-commerce channels, a trend that has accelerated in recent months.
No Arrests Yet
Pre-trial proceedings have been launched and the investigation is ongoing, but no arrests have been made so far. Bankov explained that the shipments were ordered by multiple recipients across Bulgaria via EU-based platforms, and every case is being investigated under Bulgarian law.
The absence of arrests at this stage likely reflects the complexity of tracing online drug trafficking networks, particularly when orders are placed through platforms that span multiple jurisdictions. Bulgarian prosecutors have not provided a timeline for when arrests might be made.
Claims About Minors Ordering Narcotics
Petrova stated that some shipments were ordered by children, and parents sometimes searched for their children's parcels without knowing the contents. This claim has not been independently verified by third-party sources.
Petrova urged parents to pay close attention to what minors are ordering online and the sources they use. No further detail has been provided by Bulgarian authorities on how many of the 1,050 shipments involved minors, or whether any platforms have been named in the investigation.
The alleged involvement of minors in ordering narcotics disguised as consumer goods raises questions about platform oversight and age verification mechanisms on EU-based e-commerce sites.
What This Means for British Expats
British nationals in Bulgaria should be aware that customs checks on all online parcels have intensified following Operation Hydra. The Customs Agency's heightened enforcement activity may result in longer delivery times and increased scrutiny of shipments ordered from EU-based platforms.
Parents in Bulgaria, including British expats, should monitor minors' online purchasing behaviour and verify the legitimacy of e-commerce platforms before allowing orders to proceed. Bulgarian officials specifically recommend supervising what children order online and checking the sources they use.
The case underscores a wider European challenge in controlling online drug trafficking, relevant to UK border security and customs policies, particularly post-Brexit cooperation with EU enforcement bodies. Bulgarian customs authorities have stated that the investigation into Operation Hydra continues, and the enforcement sweep reflects an emerging pattern of drug trafficking through e-commerce platforms across Europe.