The row following the arrest of Serbian Budimir Kujović on December 7 resulted in direct accusations and reached the prosecution office of the army, Dnevnik daily said.

Former deputy chief of police in Razgrad, Todor Dimov, said that the drug mafia in Bulgaria was supported by current and previous employees of the Interior Ministry. Hours later, chief secretary of the Interior Ministry Valentin Petrov said he wanted these accusation looked into by the prosecution.

Dimov told Nova Televisia that Petrov displayed an "exceptional interest" in the operation against Kujović, while police colleagues had warned him not to work on the case because he could be punished. Dimov said there was suspicion of police protection for the production of synthetic drugs in Bulgaria.

Dimov said that Petrov personally travelled to Razgrad on a non-working day to take the documents about the case against Kujović. Dimov said he was ready to identify the interests of Petrov, but only in front of a "specialised independent committee", not installed by the Interior Minister, Dnevnik daily said.

"In the case of Kujović, the interesting thing is the heroin that is transported through Bulgaria on its way to Europe and the production of amphetamine in Bulgaria and its transport to Turkey and Syria, as this is about a lot of money," Dimov said.

Petrov said "I don't want to take part in local gossip. The accusations concern the entire institution of the Interior Ministry and my name was mentioned several times. This will be looked into by the prosecution." Petrov said the reaction of the former deputy chief of police was a "primitive defence mechanism" and the accusation that he had personal interests in the amphetamine case was "ridiculous".

Petrov denied to have seen any documents containing data about a shipment of four tons of heroin and said the document was fantasy.

Dimov started a series of media statements after Interior Minister Roumen Petkov removed him from his position as deputy director of regional police in Razgrad. Petkov ordered an internal investigation into the case of the transport of 60 kg of heroin and the arrest of Serbian Kujović. Former chief secretary of the Interior Ministery Iliya Iliev claimed he had been "grossly misled" by Dimov and that the 60 kg was part of a transport of four tons. Dimov was said to have been the operative employee who had requested the issuing of a passport for Kujović, who has been barred from entry into Bulgaria for a 10-year period.