site.btaCustoms Officers Find 70,000+ Illicit Cigarettes at Danube Bridge

Customs officers found an unusual way of concealing cigarettes during an inspection at the Danube Bridge checkpoint in Ruse. The tobacco products were hidden in a double ceiling of a car, the customs said. 

The case dates back to the end of last week. Customs officers stopped a car with a trailer attached for inspection at the border crossing. The vehicle was driven by a Bulgarian who was travelling to Germany.

During the inspection with a mobile X-ray system, an uncharacteristic density was detected in the ceiling. The customs officers thus found that the vehicle had a double ceiling with a cavity measuring 130 cm by 320 cm and eight centimetres deep. Access was from the outside via a metal cover. A total of 71,200 cigarettes of known brands with Bulgarian excise duty were found in the cavity thus constructed. 

The tobacco products were confiscated, and the driver was issued an administrative offence report.

The Customs Agency informs that for the last ten days this is the fourth case of confiscated cigarettes at the Danube Bridge checkpoint in Ruse. 

During an inspection of a car with a Bulgarian driver, which was again travelling to Germany, 37,360 pieces of tobacco products were found in the factory cavities and under the floor insulation.

On another occasion, customs officers found 29,800 cigarettes. They were hidden in an extra double floor in a car trailer.

The latest case was on Thursday, when 9,200 cigarettes with Turkish excise stamps were found in both doors and under the upholstery of a truck.