site.btaCustoms Officers Seize Undeclared Currency for Over BGN 260,000 at Three Checks at Captain Andreevo

Undeclared currency with a total value of BGN 262,280 was seized by the customs officers at the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing point during inspections of a car and two buses, the Regional Press Centre of the Customs Agency in Svilengrad said on Sunday. In one of the cases, banknotes of nine types of currency were found.

On December 18, during a personal examination of a female passenger on a bus, a Ukrainian national, it was found that US dollar bills of various denominations were hidden in a pantyhose wrapped around her waist. The money found was USD 50,000 with a currency equivalent of BGN 93,161.  Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in the case. Another female passenger of the bus, also a Ukrainian national, was issued with a report under the Foreign Exchange Act, as the check revealed that she had not declared the USD 15,000 with a BGN equivalent of BGN 27,651 that she was carrying, which had been concealed in her handbag. 

In another case, undeclared euros were found in a factory cavity during an inspection of a car travelling from Germany to Turkiye with Turkish registration, as well as in the driver's underwear and jacket. The total amount of currency was EUR 40,730 with a currency equivalent of BGN 79,660. Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in the case.   

An unusual case of carrying nine types of currency was registered on December 16 in a bus with 10 passengers travelling from Turkiye to Bulgaria. During the inspection, polythene envelopes containing different currencies and denominations were found in a backpack on the first seat behind the driver. The banknotes found were African Rand, Dirhams, Thai Baht, Malaysian Ringgit, Indonesian Rupees, Egyptian Pounds, Romanian Lei, Polish Zloty and Swedish Krona. The total amount of undeclared currency found was BGN 61,808. In the course of the check, it was established that the currency belonged to the driver of the bus.

Since the beginning of the year, nearly BGN 10 million worth of illegally transported currency has been detained at Kapitan Andreevo, the customs press centre said in response to a BTA query. The last two attempts were on October 9 and 13, 2024, when euros and dollars for over BGN 300,000 were found in a truck and a van.