Bulgarian border customs seizures

Bulgarian customs officials have conducted several significant seizures of undeclared goods and contraband at various border crossings.

At the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing, authorities confiscated large amounts of undeclared foreign currency, including over 81,000 euros and nearly 20,000 US dollars, hidden in clothing, luggage, and footwear. Between September 20 and September 23, specific incidents involved a Romanian citizen found with 13,000 US dollars in shoes and a handbag, three other Romanian citizens carrying a combined 29,635 euros and 6,750 US dollars, a Serbian citizen with 12,950 euros, a German truck driver with 16,800 euros, and an Iranian citizen traveling from Austria with 22,000 euros. Legal proceedings have been initiated against these individuals.

On October 19, a 19-year-old Macedonian national was apprehended at the same crossing after authorities discovered 685 counterfeit banknotes—comprising 300 notes of €200 and 385 notes of €100—sewn into the lining of a jacket. The suspect, Hamza Darlista, was ordered into detention by the Haskovo District Court due to the nature of the crime and flight risk.

At the Kulata border crossing, officials intercepted a shipment of approximately 3.95 million illicit cigarettes valued at roughly €800,000. The contraband, consisting of 490 masterboxes without excise stamps, was concealed within a Ukrainian-registered refrigerated truck carrying potato chips. The driver faces criminal charges under the Penal Code. This incident contributed to a total of 21.6 million cigarettes seized in the Kulata region over a two-week period.