site.btaCustoms Officers Find 300,000 Contraband Cigarettes in Parcels of Clothes

Customs officials found 300,000 pieces (15,000 packs) of contraband cigarettes and undeclared knock-off brand clothing in a van carrying parcels of textiles, the Customs Agency reported on Tuesday.

On October 2, a vehicle with a foreign registration arrived at the Lesovo border checkpoint headed into Bulgaria. According to the documents submitted by the driver, a Turkish citizen, he was transporting 66 parcels of textiles from Turkiye to Germany via Bulgaria. A mobile customs group team from the Central Customs Department selected the cargo van for a thorough inspection. During the inspection, customs officers discovered that 30 of the parcels contained cartons of cigarettes hidden under declared textiles. A total of 300,000 pieces (15,000 boxes) of contraband cigarettes of various brands, with a Turkish excise label, were seized. During the inspection, parcels with undeclared 480 sports sets, blouses and T-shirts with designations of global brands were found in the cargo.

Contraband tobacco products and undeclared clothing with a total value of over BGN 100,000 have been seized.

Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in the case.