Bulgarian Customs officers at Kapitan Andreevo BCP seized over half a kilogram of mercury

On 04/04/2023, the customs officers at Kapitan Andreevo BCP seized over half a kilogram of mercury. The toxic substance was found in the inside pocket of the jacket of the driver of a truck with foreign registration, transporting goods from Turkey to Croatia. The vehicle has been selected for a thorough customs inspection. During the personal examination of the driver – a Turkish citizen, in the inner pocket of the jacket he was wearing, a glass jar containing a silvery liquid of high density was found, wrapped in a transparent polyethylene film. The substance found had a gross weight of 0.590 kg with the physical characteristics of poisonous metallic mercury.

The object of contraband has been seized. In the case, a pre-trial proceeding was initiated by an investigative customs inspector under the supervision of the Haskovo District Prosecutor’s Office. The driver of the truck with the initials I.E., aged 53, a Turkish citizen, was charged under Article 242, paragraph 1, letter “d” of the Criminal Code for attempting to transport it across the country’s border without the knowledge and the permission of the customs, the poisonous substance – metallic mercury.