site.btaPolice Uncovers Depot for Illegal Cigarettes near Plovdiv, Haul Is Worth BGN 8 Mln

Late on Thursday night, police officers identified a depot from where illegal cigarettes were transported to a warehouse in the village of Skutare, said Plovdiv District Prosecutor Petar Petrov on Nova TV. Some 23 million cigarettes or 1.16 million packets were found.

Their market value is nearly BGN 8 million, and the excise duty that should have been paid to the state is over BGN 4 million. The investigation is continuing, as more persons are being identified, Petrov said.

At a briefing on Thursday, the prosecutor's office and the police said that illegal cigarettes worth BGN 1.8 million were seized during a raid in the village of Skutare and Plovdiv. Four men - two Bulgarians, a Slovak and a Ukrainian - were detained and charged with possession with intent to distribute illegal excise goods.

The men were arrested on November 19, when a truck was found loading boxes of illegal cigarettes at a warehouse in the village of Skutare. The vehicle was found to be carrying 294,000 packs of two premium tobacco brands, concealed among nearly 300 lawnmowers. The truck was scheduled to return the lawnmowers to their manufacturer, a supplier for a major Bulgarian retail chain.

Law enforcement has initiated active measures, including interrogations and searches, to gather additional evidence related to the case.