site.btaCustoms Seize Over 787,000 Smuggled Cigarettes Hidden in Truck at Kapitan Andreevo Border Checkpoint

Customs officers seized 787,800 pieces (39,390 packs) of smuggled cigarettes during an inspection of a truck entering Bulgaria from Turkiye through the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint, the regional press centre of the Customs Agency in Svilengrad said on Tuesday. The market value of the seized tobacco products is BGN 247,645.

The tobacco products were found in a semi-trailer truck with Bulgarian registration. The driver, with dual Bulgarian and Turkish citizenship, declared that he was transporting goods from Turkiye to the UK. The vehicle was selected for a thorough customs check, which revealed illegal cigarettes from three different brands.

Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in the case, the Customs added.

From the beginning of the year until the end of November, customs officers at Kapitan Andreevo have detected and seized 24,700,000 pieces of illegally smuggled cigarettes, according to Customs Agency import-export statistics.