site.btaBulgaria’s Largest Illegal Cigarette Factory Busted in Joint Operation

The largest illegal cigarette factory uncovered in Bulgaria to date was dismantled in an operation involving the State Agency for National Security (SANS), the Interior Ministry, the Customs Agency, and British services, Acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov said at a briefing here on Wednesday.

The illicit production was carried out in a facility whose activity had been disguised as a car scrapyard in the town of Batanovtsi, Pernik Municipality. The hall is located on the premises of a former cement plant.

Also attending the briefing were SANS Chair Denyo Denev, General Directorate Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC) Director Boyan Raev, and Customs Agency Executive Director Georgi Dimov.

Sarafov added that this was the second international operation conducted over the past two weeks. He recalled last week’s joint international operation with the Interior Ministry and GDCOC, which led to the shutdown of pirate websites distributing content that infringed intellectual property rights.

“This is the largest illegal excise-goods production facility uncovered so far, even larger than the one in the village of Momkovo in Haskovo Region, which was uncovered last year,” Sarafov said.

Denev noted that significant financial resources had been invested in the facility. Workers from Moldova had been employed there and had designated sleeping quarters, though they did not reside on the premises permanently. It has yet to be established whether they had valid legal documents. Over the past day, a truck transporting the output was also detained, with around 990 cartons - more than 10 million cigarettes - found inside.

Albena Stoilova, spokesperson for the Pernik District Prosecution Office, said the hall in Batanovtsi is owned by a sole-proprietor company. The sole owner of the capital and manager is a young woman. “There have been no arrests yet. The involvement of several individuals has been established. Detention presupposes the filing of charges, which in turn requires a substantial body of evidence,” Stoilova said.

According to the district prosecution spokesperson, the illegal production was primarily intended for export.