site.btaCustoms Officers Seize 950,000 Contraband Cigarettes at Lesovo

Customs officers at the Lesovo border crossing have seized 950,000 contraband cigarettes (47,500 cartons) hidden inside a truck entering the country, the Customs Agency said on Tuesday.

The German-plated truck, driven by a Turkish national, arrived at Lesovo on July 12 from Turkiye. During customs control, the driver presented documents claiming to be transiting aluminum profiles from Turkiye to the Netherlands via Bulgaria. He declared no additional goods.

However, during an inspection, customs officers discovered 95 boxes of cigarettes concealed among the aluminum profiles inside the cargo.

A total of 950,000 undeclared cigarettes of various brands, all bearing Turkish excise stamps, were found. The contraband tobacco products, estimated to be worth around 350,000 BGN (approx. EUR 180,000), were seized.

Pretrial proceedings have been launched into the case.