Cross Border CrimeNews

Bulgarain Customs officers at Kapitan Andreevo BCP were found undeclared currency worth over BGN 670,000

In just two days, two quick proceedings were initiated according to the inventory of TD Bourgas Customs for an attempt to transfer undeclared currency with a total BGN equivalent of 676,227 during two inspections of a truck and a bus.

 In one of the cases – on 30.01.2023, a tractor with a semi-trailer with Turkish registration, traveling from the Netherlands via Bulgaria to Lebanon, arrived at the Kapitan Andreevo BCP. Under the ‘risk analysis’ method, the lorry was selected for a thorough customs inspection, where wads of Scottish and British pounds of different denominations were found in the driver’s cabin in a bag of personal belongings and in the dashboard. The total amount of discovered currency is 111,630 Scottish pounds and 3,380 British pounds with a total BGN equivalent of 255,947 BGN.

The day before, on January 29, 2023, customs officials discovered undeclared currency with the equivalent of BGN 420,280 during a bus inspection. In the bus, with a driver – a Turkish citizen, 20 passengers traveled from Romania through Bulgaria to Turkey. The currency was hidden in a factory cavity under the last row of seats in the passenger compartment. 214,890 euros with the BGN equivalent of 420,280 BGN were discovered.

The drivers of the truck and the bus – Turkish citizens – have been charged as defendants in two fast-track proceedings initiated by investigative customs inspectors under the supervision of the District Prosecutor’s Office – Haskovo-Territorial Department – Svilengrad.