site.btaOver 1,200 Packages Containing Botox and Unauthorized Pharmaceuticals Seized in Sofia in Less than a Month

In less than a month, customs officers in Sofia have seized 1,224 packages containing botulinum toxin (commonly called botox), serums, and pharmaceutical products from parcel shipments originating in Vietnam and South Korea, the Customs Agency reported on Monday.

Of the packages seized, 902 contained botulinum toxin, while the remaining 322 held unauthorized pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. The seizures were made in the Sofia region during inspections of various parcels addressed to private individuals, the agency said.

Eight parcels from Vietnam, declared as containing “clothing, footwear, cosmetics and perfumes,” were found to include 600 packages of botulinum toxin type A (100 units each), as well as 80 plastic containers of cream containing 29.9% lidocaine. Another shipment declared as “30 glass bottles and 30 sample boxes” was discovered to contain 300 boxes of botulinum toxin type A (100 units each) and two units of the same toxin in 200-unit doses.

A separate parcel from South Korea, declared as 47 units of “Beauty Collagen Gel,” was found to contain 13 packages of lidocaine (banned for sale in the EU), 11 fillers mixed with lidocaine, and 34 packages of botulinum toxin across three different brands. While the latter is approved for sale in Bulgaria, it is only available on prescription. Some of the seized products require temperature-controlled transportation and storage, which was not indicated in the shipping documents and was apparently not complied with, according to the agency.

The seized goods, including both cosmetic and medicinal products, were found in 15 separate shipments between May 14 and July 7. Most of the products were smuggled, as they were either not declared in the accompanying documents or were misrepresented in terms of type or quantity.

For instance, a shipment declared on May 14 as “four serums for external use in cosmetic procedures” actually contained 12 boxes of 10 ampoules each—120 ampoules in total—of intravenous pharmaceutical products from five different brands. According to the Bulgarian Drug Agency (BDA), these products are not authorized for use in the country.

In another inspection, customs officers found 30 packages of intravenous medication in a parcel declared as “beauty treatment serums.”

The BDA has been notified, the products have been confiscated, and administrative proceedings under the Customs Act are underway.

Early this year, 12 women sought medical attention at Sofia’s Pirogov Emergency Hospital after receiving botulinum toxin injections.