National Customs Agency

Customs officers working in the area of the Danube Bridge-Rousse BCP have found an unusual way to hide cigarettes - in the double roof of a car.

On 21.12.2024, around 6:00 a.m., in the area of the Danube Bridge - Rousse BCP, customs inspectors stopped for inspection a car with a trailer attached, with a route from Bulgaria to Germany, driven by a Bulgarian citizen. The vehicle was referred for inspection with a mobile x-ray system where abnormal density was found in the ceiling. The customs officers found that the car had a double ceiling, which formed a cavity measuring 130 cm by 320 cm and 8 cm deep. Access to the space formed is from the outside of the car through a metal cover. A total of 71,200 pieces (3,560 packs) of well-known brands of cigarettes with a Bulgarian excise label were found in the thus constructed cavity. The tobacco products were confiscated, the driver was issued an act of establishing an administrative violation.

During a second inspection at the same place, an hour later on 21.12.24, of a car with a driver - a Bulgarian citizen, again traveling from Bulgaria to Germany, cigarettes were found in the factory cavities and under the floor insulation. The total amount of established tobacco products is 37,360 cigarettes in 1,868 boxes affixed with a Bulgarian excise label. The transported excise goods were confiscated, the driver was issued an administrative violation report.

The customs officials discovered a built-in "hidden" - an additionally created double floor and in the trailer for a passenger car, during a thorough customs inspection in the area of the Danube Bridge-Rousse BCP on 18.12.2024. A total of 29,800 pieces (1,490 packs) of cigarettes with Bulgarian excise labels were found in the constructed cavity. Acts for establishing administrative violations have been drawn up for the transported tobacco products and for the built cache.

In the two doors and under the upholstery of a truck, 9,200 cigarettes (460 boxes) with a Turkish excise label were found during a thorough customs check on 26.12.2024, again in the area of the Danube Bridge - Rousse BCP. The contraband tobacco products were detected by customs officials after checking with a mobile X-ray system.