Customs officers at the Malko Tarnovo border crossing seized smuggled cigarettes in two separate checks on the road into Bulgaria, one in a cargo van and one on a passenger bus.
The van, registered abroad, crossed from Turkey on 24 September 2026. Its papers said the driver, a Turkish national, was carrying textiles through Bulgaria from Turkey to the Netherlands. Customs officers found 3,400 cigarettes, or 170 packs, hidden in the cab roof and dashboard. They carried a Turkish tax stamp and were of two brands.
In the second case, a bus was travelling from Turkey to Romania through Bulgaria. The driver and passengers said they had nothing to declare, but officers checking three suitcases belonging to a Romanian passenger found 37,000 cigarettes, or 1,850 packs, marked "For duty free".
The cigarettes were seized, and both the Turkish driver and the Romanian passenger were fined under the Customs Act.
Since the start of August, officers at the crossing have stopped more than 30 attempts to smuggle tobacco. They have seized nearly 170,000 cigarettes and 6 kg of loose tobacco, hidden in vehicles and passengers' luggage on the way from Turkey into Bulgaria and the EU.
An adult crossing Bulgaria's outer land border with the EU is allowed to bring in 40 cigarettes, or 2 packs. Anyone carrying more faces a fine under the Customs Act, and if the amount is large enough, criminal charges under the Criminal Code, Burgas customs says.