Smuggled gold jewelry seized by customs officers at Malko Tarnovo BCP

Bulgarian Customs officers at Malko Tarnovo BCP seized nearly 400 grams of smuggled gold items during two separate inspections of a passenger car and a bus entering the country from Turkey.

The passenger car with Romanian registration arrived at the Malko Tarnovo BCP at around 9:40 p.m. on July 15, 2026, on its way from Turkey to Romania. In the customs control area, the driver and passengers – Romanian citizens – stated that they had nothing to declare. During the customs inspection, inspectors found 207.35 grams of gold jewelry in a bag of one of the passengers, hidden among personal belongings. Another 132.14 grams of gold jewelry were found in the luggage of the second passenger in the car. Among the undeclared jewelry, sets of necklaces and bracelets in luxury packaging were also found.

Another 56 grams of smuggled gold items were found in a factory cavity in the dashboard of a bus with passengers during another customs inspection on July 11, 2026. The bus was driven by a Turkish citizen and he was also traveling on a route from Turkey to Romania.

A total of 395.49 grams of jewelry were seized in the cases. According to the expert examination, the items were made of yellow and white gold of different carats and are worth a total of 25 427 euros. The offenders – two Romanian and one Turkish citizen – were issued acts for administrative violations under the Customs Act.