A total of 203,700 cigarettes, or 10,185 packs, were seized during two inspections in the area of the Danube Bridge near Vidin and Ruse. The tobacco products bore valid Bulgarian excise stamps, but were being transported without the necessary accompanying documents for commercial quantities, the Customs Agency reported.
In the first case, on October 31, customs officers from the Ruse Territorial Directorate of Customs and border police stopped a truck with Bulgarian registration for a thorough inspection. The truck was travelling from Bulgaria to Germany and was carrying declared cargo. During the inspection, the officers found 185,600 cigarettes, or 9,280 packs, of various brands among the cargo.
On the same day, a passenger car with Bulgarian registration, driven by a Bulgarian national, was inspected in the area of the Danube Bridge near Ruse. During the thorough inspection, a further 18,100 cigarettes, equivalent to 905 packs, were found in specially designed factory cavities in the front and rear bumpers. This car was also headed to Germany.
The excise goods were seized, and reports establishing administrative violations under the Excise Duties and Tax Warehouses Act were drawn up in both cases. The inspections are part of the compensatory measures taken by the Customs Agency following the lifting of controls at the European Union’s internal borders.