Police have found an illegal cigarette factory with a full production line in Karnobat. A 58-year-old local man has been detained, Burgas district prosecutor Maria Markova told reporters.

In three warehouses, officers found about 12 tonnes of tobacco, machines for processing tobacco and making cigarettes, blanks marked with well-known brands, and five master boxes of finished product. It is not known whether the detained man ran the operation.

The GDBOP organised crime unit, Border Police and the DANS state security agency took part in the operation. Also at the briefing for reporters in Karnobat were Commissioner Pavel Kolev, head of GDBOP in Burgas, and Chief Commissioner Luchezar Momchev, director of the Border Police regional directorate in Burgas.

Police got a tip at the start of the month about a high-tech factory making excise goods without tax stamps. Their inquiries led to a site in Karnobat, where officers found the equipment and materials as soon as they entered.

The site also has sleeping quarters, bathrooms, a kitchen, toilets and a makeshift gym. Officers also found writing in Russian. Investigators have yet to check whether Russian, Ukrainian or other foreign nationals worked there.

Early information suggests the cigarettes were meant for Bulgaria and Europe, probably western and central Europe. Police are still looking for others linked to making and selling them.

Officials say the pre-trial investigation, including expert tests on the tobacco and equipment, will show how long the factory ran and how much it produced.

Burgas district prosecutors have opened a case over making and holding tobacco products for sale without the required permits, and over holding excise goods without tax stamps. The offence carries a prison term of 1 to 6 years and a fine of €20,000 to €51,129 (100,000 leva).