site.bta1.3 Mln-Plus Contraband Cigarettes Seized at Lesovo Border Crossing

Customs officers at the Lesovo border crossing, on the Bulgarian-Turkish border, seized 1,340,000 pieces (67,000 cartons) of contraband cigarettes during an inspection of a truck vehicle, the Customs Agency said on Wednesday.

The seizure was carried out as part of a joint anti-smuggling operation involving teams from the Customs Agency, the Border Police, the Directorate General for Combating Organised Crime and the National Revenue Agency.

On November 25, at about 2.30 pm, an inbound foreign-plated truck arrived at Lesovo. The driver, a Turkish national, presented documents that he was transporting goods in transit from Turkiye to Switzerland via Bulgaria. The vehicle was selected by customs officers for a thorough inspection. In the course of the inspection using X-ray equipment, the inspectors found suspicious areas in the declared cargo of kitchen appliances, furniture, wooden panels, cables and other goods. A physical check was carried out, during which 67 cardboard boxes containing a total of 1.340.000 pieces (67 000 cartons) of undeclared cigarettes of different brands, all with Turkish excise duty stamp, were found among the declared goods in the front part of the cargo area.

The contraband cigarettes, worth more than BGN 400, 000, have been seized. Pre-trial proceedings have been opened into.