Bulgaria seizes 163 kg heroin bound for Austria

SOFIA, Mar 11 (Reuters) Bulgarian customs agents seized 163 kg of heroin worth an estimated 20 million dollar at a border checkpoint with Serbia, officials said today.

Police arrested a 42-year-old Turkish citizen after finding the drugs hidden in his truck, which was destined for Austria.

''This is the second largest heroin haul at a Bulgarian border checkpoint in the past 5 years,'' the customs office said in a statement.

The poor Balkan state, which straddles one of the main drug-trafficking routes between Europe and southwest Asia, seized 8.4 tonnes of drugs, including 460 kg of heroin, in 2006.

Since joining the European Union in January, it has tightened border controls and vowed to fight widespread organised crime and corruption.

REUTERS SP BD1711