SOFIA, Jan 25 (AFP) - Bulgarian raided a Sofia suburb and seized pure amphetamine that was enough to make almost seven tons of the synthetic drug with a street value of one billion dollars on the Middle Eastern Arab market, the interior ministry said Tuesday.
Valentin Petrov, head of the National Service for Fighting Organised Crime, said "the pure amphetamine substance seized is enough for the synthesis of almost seven tons of end product, that is around 40 million tablets, the market price of which is around one billion dollars," according to a ministry statement.
Interior Minister Georgy Petkanov said "the most impressive fact is that the drugs carry the highest money value ever seized in Bulgaria," as cited in the statement issued after a press conference.
The street value of one amphetamine tablet in the Middle East, which was the destination for the drugs, starts at 25 dollars, interior ministry experts said.
Police arrested two Bulgarians in the drug seizure and are seeking two more suspects in action against what is believed to be a major trafficking ring, police said.
This is the second major amphetamine seizure in Bulgaria in a week. On January 20, police confiscated amphetamine with an estimated street value of some 32.5 million dollars in the southwestern town of Dobritch.
01/25/2005 12:05 GMT - AFP