Bulgarian Customs Seize Over 135,000 Cigarettes Hidden in Sanitary Ware Truck

Jerusalem, 5 June, 2025 (TPS-IL) -- Vidin (BTA) – Bulgarian customs officers seized 135,800 pieces of cigarettes, hidden in a truck carrying sanitary ware in the area of ​​”Danube Bridge 2″ near Vidin, the Customs Agency announced on its website. The cigarettes were found during an inspection carried out on the morning of May 31 on a truck traveling from Bulgaria to the United Kingdom. The driver provided documents stating that he was transporting boxes of sanitary ware.

After a risk analysis, the officers redirected the truck for additional inspection at the Customs Bureau – Vidin. The X-ray and physical inspections revealed that a total of 6,790 packs of cigarettes, covered with a valid Bulgarian excise stamp, were hidden in some of the toilet cisterns. The driver explained that the cigarettes were his and he was transporting them for friends.

The tobacco products were seized, and an Act of Establishing an Administrative Violation was drawn up against the driver of the vehicle.

Since the beginning of the year, during 12 vehicle inspections in the area of ​​the approaches to the “Danube Bridge 2” at Vidin – Calafat, a total of 72,086 boxes or 1,441,720 pieces of cigarettes have been seized, according to a report on the customs agency’s website. At the end of May, customs officers discovered 93,800 pieces of smuggled cigarettes hidden in boxes of medical devices in a cargo van.