National Customs Agency

Nearly five times as many detections of illegal cigarettes were reported by the Customs Agency in the January-March period as last year.

Nearly five times as many cigarettes intended for illegal distribution in Bulgaria and Western Europe were detained  in 2026, compared to the same period in 2025. In the first quarter of 2026, 31 873 765 pieces of cigarettes were detained, which is 25,315,432 pieces more than the 6 558 333 pieces detained in the first quarter of last year.  There is also a significant increase in the amount of seized tobacco for illegal distribution. From the beginning of January to the end of March 2026, 13 966 kg were captured compared to 1410 kg for the same period in 2025.
In early 2026, the Customs Agency’s analyses showed that the majority of illegal cigarettes were intended for sale in other European countries. This trend continues to be influenced by higher prices in Central and Western Europe, as well as in the UK.
Avoided losses to national budgets in the form of excise duties and VAT due for a total quantity of over 31 million pieces are over EUR 3.6 million, calculated at the rates for Bulgaria and over EUR 12 million intermediate rates for the markets of France and the UK.  

The largest proportion of cigarettes, 9 940 000 pieces, and a significant proportion of tobacco, were seized at the factory opened in Batanovtsi in February 2026. During an operation by the Prosecutor’s Office, the State Agency for National Security, the Ministry of the Interior and the Customs Agency, together with British partner organisations, the largest tobacco production base to date, which is part of the international smuggling network, was opened.

Customs officers found 6 120 000 pieces of cigarettes during road stop control of a lorry in the area of Danube Bridge - Vidin on 1 March 2026. During a thorough customs inspection of the vehicle travelling from Greece to Poland, it was found that 612 boxes with a total of 306 000 boxes of tobacco products were hidden between the transported citrus fruits and vegetables. The disclosure was made during an inspection, which is part of the compensatory measures of the Customs Agency in connection with the lifting of border controls at the internal borders of the EU after the admission of Bulgaria as a full member of the Schengen area.

Another major case of smuggling was prevented by customs officers at Kapitan Andreevo BCP on 11.02.2026. At the time, 4,989,400 pieces (249,470 boxes) with Turkish excise tax stamps were seized in a truck with Turkish registration. During the checks carried out in the cargo area, it was found that most of the boxes were filled with cigarette stacks instead of the declared goods - aluminium foil, ceramics and metal drills and stiles transported from Türkiye to the Netherlands.
In the border crossing area, the customs officers of the Department for Combating Drug Trafficking at the Sofia Customs Territorial Directorate detained 4 000 000 pieces of cigarettes in a load composition with Croatian registration. During a thorough customs check, it was found that the trailer contained only a few pallets with goods mentioned in the documents, and behind them were found 13 pallets containing cartons of cigarettes without Bulgarian excise stamps.