site.btaRecord Amount of Gold Seized at Lesovo Checkpoint Taped to Driver’s Body

A record amount, 14.266 kg of contraband gold worth over BGN 1.3 million was seized by customs officers at the Lesovo border checkpoint (on the Turkish border) during an inspection of a Romanian truck driver, the Customs Agency said here on Friday. The gold was taped to the man’s body and hidden inside his shoes. This is the biggest amount of contraband gold detained at Lesovo during a personal check of a driver or passenger.

On March 20, 2025, the truck with foreign registration plates arrived at the Lesovo border crossing checkpoint on its way from Romania to Turkiye. At the customs control zone the driver, a Romanian citizen, said that he had nothing to declare. He was travelling without a load to Turkiye where he would receive the goods for his return trip. The customs officers selected the vehicle for a thorough customs check. During the personal inspection of the driver, the customs inspectors found taped to the man’s body a total of 10 casts of gold. Eight of them had been taped to his waist and legs and 2 were hidden under the soles of his feet in his shoes.

The tests carried out by an expert determined that each of the casts was made of gold, of various purity - 10 to 18 karats. The total amount of gold is 14,266 grams, valued at BGN 1,344,589 official court costs.

The contraband gold has been seized. Work on the case is continuing. Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated under the supervision of the Yambol District Prosecutor's Office. The Romanian citizen has been detained for 72 hours.