site.bta785,000 Contraband Cigarettes Seized by Customs Officers at Kapitan Andreevo Checkpoint

Customs officers at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint have seized 785,000 contraband cigarettes during two checks of vehicles entering Bulgaria from Turkiye on January 20, 2024.

The first check was carried out on a van with Turkish registration. The vehicle was selected for a thorough customs inspection by the method of risk analysis. The driver, a Turkish national, presented documents showing that he was transporting cardboard cups from Turkiye to the Netherlands. During the check, however, the officers found 55 cartons of cigarettes among the declared goods. A total of 34,900 boxes (698,000 pieces) of cigarettes with no Bulgarian excise stamp worth BGN 219,870 were seized.

Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in the case. The driver has been charged, ordered to pay a bail of BGN 5,000 and banned to leave the country without permission from a prosecutor.

Later in the day, customs officials found and seized 4,350 boxes (87,000 pieces) of cigarettes hidden among the cargo of a lorry travelling from Turkiye to Germany. The Turkish driver has been issued a written statement ascertaining a violation of the Customs Act.