Customs officers have seized record amounts of illegal cigarettes in a few days at the Kulata and Lesovo border crossings, the Customs Agency said.
On 6 October, officers stopped a Polish-registered truck coming into Bulgaria from Greece for a check based on risk analysis. They found about 450,000 packs of cigarettes without excise stamps, worth about €1.8m.
"These are the biggest cigarette seizures at each of the two crossings, and the result of the whole operation is also unprecedented for Bulgaria," Customs Agency deputy director Stefan Bakalov told BNT. He said trucks were seized at Lesovo and another two at Kulata.
The driver of the first truck is a Polish citizen with no previous convictions. He has been detained for up to 72 hours. Blagoevgrad district prosecutor Elitsa Kalpachka said the evidence against him is sufficient and he has been charged.
He is charged under Article 234, paragraph 3 of the Criminal Code, which covers holding large amounts of excise goods without a stamp where the law requires one. Prosecutors will seek the harshest measure against him, detention in custody.
Yesterday, officers checked a second Polish-registered truck and found large amounts of cigarettes without a Bulgarian excise stamp.
Four pre-trial proceedings have been opened. The Blagoevgrad District Prosecutor's Office and the Customs Agency in the Kulata area gave details of the operations and the investigation.