site.btaCustoms Officers Seize Nearly 1,900 Ancient Coins and Artefacts at Lesovo Border Checkpoint

Nearly 1,900 ancient coins, jewellery and arrowheads were intercepted by customs officers at the Lesovo border checkpoint, the Customs Agency said on Friday. The items were concealed under the bed in the cab of a foreign-registered lorry driven by a Turkish national.

The lorry arrived at the checkpoint on September 10, entering the country. The driver provided documentation indicating he was transporting goods from Turkiye to Germany and declared no additional items. Following a risk assessment, the vehicle was selected for a comprehensive customs inspection.

During the inspection, customs officers found 19 tape-wrapped packages concealed among the driver’s personal belongings. The packages contained 1,764 ancient metal coins and 107 antiquities, including arrowheads, jewellery components, and other artifacts.

The 1,871 confiscated ancient coins will be submitted for expert analysis. The investigation remains ongoing. The lorry driver has been cited under the Customs Act, and administrative penalty proceedings are underway.

A few days earlier, authorities at the Lesovo border checkpoint intercepted an attempt to smuggle a hunting rifle and cartridges. The items were concealed in the trunk of a car entering the country, driven by a Turkish national en route to Belgium through Bulgaria.