site.btaCustoms Officers Seize 5,000 Packs of Smuggled Cigarettes on Turkish Border

Customs officers at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint on the border with Turkiye found and seized 100,000 (5000 packs) of smuggled cigarettes during an inspection of a truck entering the country from Turkiye, the Customs Agency here announced Friday. 

In the afternoon on October 15, a tractor-trailer with Turkish registration arrived at the checkpoint. The driver, a Turkish citizen, presented documents for the transported goods from Turkiye via Bulgaria to France. Under the 'risk analysis' method, the truck was selected for a thorough customs inspection, including an X-ray, during which abnormal densities were noted in the cargo compartment.

The subsequent inspection found sacks filled with cigarette cartons among the declared goods. A total of 100,000 cigarettes or 5,000 packs of two brands with Turkish excise stamps were found. The undeclared tobacco products were seized. The driver was issued a fine. 

In the first two weeks of October, customs officers at Kapitan Andreevo have seized nearly 1.6 million illegal cigarettes. Since the beginning of the year the quantity is over 20 million cigarettes, according to the statistics of the Customs Agency.