Large quantity of 280,000 pieces (14 000 boxes) contraband cigarettes in plastic canisters were discovered by the customs officers of the Lesovo customs point during an inspection of a truck.
The control actions were carried out within the joint anti-smuggling operation, with the participation of teams from the Customs Agency, DG Border Police, DG Combating Organized Crime and the National Revenue Agency.
On September 16, a truck with a foreign registration, driven by a Romanian citizen, arrived at the Lesovo highway on the inbound route into the country. In the customs control area the driver with initials R.B. presented documents that he was transporting plastic products in transit – boxes and lids from Turkey to Germany via Bulgaria and stated that he had nothing else to declare.
When inspecting the cargo with specialized X-ray equipment, customs officers select suspicious areas with a different density from the declared goods. A physical check was carried out, during which customs inspectors found 17 undeclared plastic canisters filled with contraband cigarettes among the declared goods in the cargo hold. A total of 280,000 pieces were found in the canisters (14 000 boxes) cigarettes of various brands, all with a Turkish excise label.
Contraband cigarettes worth nearly BGN 100,000 were seized. In this case, a pre-trial proceeding has been initiated on the inventory of TD Mitnitsa Burgas, which is being conducted by an investigating customs inspector, under the supervision of the District Prosecutor’s Office – Yambol.
#short #contraband #cigarettes #canisters #Lesovo #police #station
