SOFIA, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian law enforcement authorities have seized more than 27 kg of marijuana at the Danube Bridge checkpoint near Ruse at the border with Romania, the Ministry of Interior said in a statement on Thursday.

The illicit drug, split into 35 packets, was found in a secret compartment under the gear lever of a Volkswagen car trying to leave Bulgaria on Wednesday, the statement said.

The driver, a 48-year-old Bulgarian citizen, was arrested, the statement said.

Bulgaria, a key transit route for drugs smuggled from Asia to Europe, seized at its borders 240 kg of marijuana in 2018.