Millions of cigarettes hidden in crisps: Customs stop third lorry at Kulata
Around 3.95 million cigarettes without excise stamps were found among bags of crisps. In two weeks, customs seized more than 27.5 million worth about 6 million euros.
Archive image · Photo: Edal Anton Lefterov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Customs officers at the Kulata border crossing with Greece have seized around 3.95 million cigarettes without excise stamps that were hidden among bags of crisps, BNT reported. The lorry was stopped on 19 October and, according to initial information, was heading for Ukraine. The cigarettes of two brands were stacked on 11 pallets and valued at about 800,000 euros. The crisps matched the cargo declared in the transport documents.
It is the third lorry carrying contraband cigarettes stopped at Kulata, bringing the total to 21.6 million. In the previous case the cigarettes were hidden in cornflakes, and in the first one inside the metal casings of stoves. Over the past two weeks, customs seized five large shipments totalling more than 27.5 million cigarettes worth about 6 million euros, some of them at the Lesovo crossing.
After a risk analysis and a check of the documents, the lorry was sent for an X-ray scan, one of the compensatory measures following Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen area. The district prosecutor's office in Blagoevgrad has opened pre-trial proceedings. The driver has been formally accused of possessing large quantities of excise goods without stamps.