Chief of Bulgaria's Largest Customs Agency Unit Detained in Special Operation

Todor Karaivanov, interim head of the Svilengrad Customs Office, has been detained in a special operation carried out by the national security agency.

Customs officials say they were not previously informed that an operation will take place.

Private national TV station NOVA reported on Wednesday that suspicions of bribery and smuggling activities had pushed the State Agency for National Security (DANS) to arrest him, while other media sources announced that DANS believed he was involved in an organized crime gang.

Karaivanov was appointed interim head of the Svilengrad Customs Office in the autumn of 2014. He had also taken the position during the previous term of Vanyo Tanov, the Customs Agency head who returned at the helm of the institution under the caretaker government that was in office between August and November.

Reports of the BGNES news service suggest Karaivanov appointed 20 officials personally this week.

Svilengrad is a southeastern town lying at Bulgaria's border with Turkey. Located at the EU's external border, it is the biggest customs unit of the country.

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