Police seize record 440 kg of nitrous oxide in Sozopol, Bulgaria

Bulgarian police carried out a large‑scale operation in Sozopol after receiving intelligence about a shipment of illegal nitrous oxide. Officers intercepted a pallet containing 80 boxes, each with 5‑kg canisters, totalling about 440 kg – the largest amount seized in the southern Black Sea region.

Seven young people, aged 18‑20 and from Pernik and Sofia, were arrested. They worked as bartenders and waitstaff in the seaside resorts and were preparing to distribute the gas to night‑clubs. The suspects used three cars – a Subaru, an Audi and a Ford Focus – to move the cargo. Searches of the vehicles uncovered additional bottles, filler cartridges and hundreds of smaller gas balloons intended for rapid resale.

The case is being investigated under the supervision of the regional prosecutor’s office, and authorities continue to identify any further participants in the smuggling network.