site.btaNearly 1.5 Mln Contraband Cigarettes Seized at Border with Turkiye

Customs officials have found 1,454,000 contraband cigarettes (72,700 packs) during a check of a freight vehicle at the Kapitan Andreevo border control checkpoint, the regional press centre of the customs in Svilengrad (Southern Bulgaria) reported Monday. The vehicle was driven by a Turkish national, E. D., who declared he was transporting furniture from Turkiye to France and Germany.

The smuggled cigarettes were hidden inside interior doors. Their market value is estimated at BGN 439,650.

Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated under the supervision of the Haskovo District Prosecutor's Office.

With this latest case, the contraband cigarettes seized at the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing this year amount to some 22 million, compared to half that number in 2022.