13 M Contraband Cigarettes Seized at Bulgaria-Greece Border

Bulgarian customs officers at the Kulata border crossing point seized a record 13 million contraband cigarettes on the night of November 13. Photo by BGNES

Bulgarian customs officers at the Kulata border crossing point seized a record 13 million contraband cigarettes on the night of November 13.

The amount of seized illegal cigarettes sets a record both for the border crossing between Bulgaria and Greece and for the volume of cigarettes carried on a truck, according to reports of private TV station bTV.

The cigarettes were found in a truck with a foreign registration plate driven by a foreign national.

The contraband cigarettes were of the "Omega" brand which is not registered in Bulgaria and is unpopular on the local market.

The cigarettes were packed and loaded in an unusual way.

It is yet to be established whether they were earmarked for the Bulgarian market.

Experts in the sphere commented that the smuggling attempt deployed an innovative complex combination of false and misleading documents, which was eventually uncovered by customs officers.

Pre-trial proceedings were launched and the case was reported to the District Prosecutor's Office in the southwestern town of Blagoevgrad.

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