The suspect, identified as Mutebwa Mulumba Jean de Dieu, a 40-year-old Second Counselor at the DRC embassy in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, was detained at the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint. He was traveling in a Belgium-registered vehicle along with a 54-year-old Belgian woman and a 43-year-old Bulgarian driver, who were also arrested.

According to Ivan Stoyanov, the regional prosecutor for Haskovo, the drugs were discovered packed in 179 separate packages hidden inside five suitcases. The cocaine seizure is one of the largest drug busts ever recorded at Bulgaria’s southeastern border.

Though Mutebwa holds a diplomatic post abroad, Bulgarian authorities stated that he did not present any valid diplomatic immunity documents within Bulgaria. Therefore, all three individuals are being treated as suspects in a major drug trafficking case.

Bulgarian authorities, in collaboration with European Union law enforcement, have launched a cross-border investigation to determine the origin of the cocaine and its intended destination. The route suggests it may have been destined for Turkey or beyond.

Prosecutors said that if convicted, the suspects face up to 20 years in prison under Bulgarian law.

The case has raised serious concerns about the exploitation of diplomatic positions in international drug trafficking networks. It is not the first time such privileges have been misused to smuggle illicit substances across borders.