site.btaCustoms Officers Seize 6,750 Suspected Counterfeit Items at Bulgaria–Serbia Border

Customs officers at the Kalotina Border Crossing Point (BCP) seized smuggled shoes, textiles, leather handbags, and suitcases. During two inspections of two trucks in the same day, officials found 6,750 items bearing well-known brand logos that were not listed in the customs documents and are suspected of being counterfeit.

In the first inspection, a total of 768 pairs of shoes and 5,394 textile products and garments were discovered. In the second, 326 pairs of shoes and 262 leather handbags and suitcases were found.

Both trucks, bearing Bulgarian license plates, arrived at the exit from the country at Kalotina BCP on August 9, 2025. They were driven by Bulgarian citizens and, according to their paperwork, were traveling the same route — from Bulgaria to Spain. The drivers presented customs documents for the cargo declared as refrigerant gas.

During the physical inspection of the first truck, customs officers found five additional pallets hidden behind the declared cargo, containing a total of 6,162 “branded” shoes, textiles, and garments.

The inspection of the second truck uncovered one more pallet containing 588 “branded” shoes, leather handbags, and suitcases.

The goods were seized as contraband since they were not listed in the customs documentation and the drivers have been cited under the Customs Act.