Romanian police found 260 kilograms of heroin, the largest haul ever

A Turkish driver has been detained after police found 260 kilograms (573.2 pounds) of heroin, the largest haul ever in Romania, the country's police spokesman said Tuesday.

Ecin Abdulmennan, 35, was detained Monday at the western border Nadlac when he was preparing to leave Romania and travel into Hungary, the AP reports.

"We don't know yet the transport's destination, but we are sure that the drugs were going somewhere in western Europe," said Catalin Popescu, the police spokesman.

The haul was found stashed in 508 packages hidden in the top walls of the large truck's cabin, said Popescu. The heroin was worth at least 10 million euros (US$ 12 million) on the black market.

It is the biggest heroin capture ever made in Romania, Popescu said.

The detained Turkish driver faces a 15-25 year prison term if found guilty of drugs trafficking. Police reported he was being cooperative with authorities.

In 2005, Romanian police captured 292 kilograms (643.74 pounds) of drugs, while in 2004 only 35.5 kilograms (78.26 pounds) were found.