3 smooth-bore hunting rifles, 20 gas pistols and 5750 blank cartridges were seized by officers of the "Customs" Agency and the Directorate of Customs and Border Protection at the "Kapitan Andreevo" Customs checkpoint. The weapon was discovered during a joint inspection of the Bulgarian services and their colleagues from the service for illegal weapons, dangerous and radioactive materials of North Macedonia, the "Customs" Agency reported.
The contraband goods were hidden in the cargo compartment of a truck with a foreign registration, entering the country from Turkey. It was established that illegal weapons were repurposed for trafficking to the Republic of North Macedonia.
The truck was selected for inspection and X-ray control on December 18, 2025. The driver - a Macedonian citizen, presented documents for the transported goods, parked the car in front of the X-ray area and arbitrarily left the checkpoint before the control actions were carried out.
A week later, on December 24, the owner of the transport company appeared before the Bulgarian authorities at the checkpoint. During the inspection carried out in his presence and the subsequent physical control, the officers discovered 6 cardboard boxes with weapons and ammunition.
The weapons and ammunition were seized. A report under the Customs Act was drawn up for the driver's smuggled gas pistols and blank cartridges. In connection with the illegally transported rifles, pre-trial proceedings were initiated by an investigating customs inspector under the supervision of the District Prosecutor's Office - Haskovo.