Bulgarian Customs Seize Goods Worth More Than $2 Million

The Bulgarian Customs Agency has seized goods worth more than US$2 million. The shipments were detained in connection with a Romanian investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), with Bulgarian customs officers acting in coordination with the EPPO's office in Bulgaria.

The investigation took place at the end of July, resulting in the seizure of 12 containers of goods valued at more than US$2 million, including more than 3,800 technical lithium-ion modular units, fastening components and related documentation, with a total weight exceeding 268,000 kilogrammes. The operation took place in the area of the ports of Burgas and Varna and was conducted by teams of investigating customs inspectors designated by the Minister of Finance as investigating authorities in cases handled by the European Public Prosecutor's Office, together with customs officials from the Central Customs Directorate and the Burgas and Varna Regional Customs Directorates.

The operation is part of an investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in the Republic of Romania into suspected fraud involving EU funds linked to two projects for the production of lithium-ion batteries and the processing of metal modular structures, worth approximately €10 million and co-financed by the European Union.

Investigating customs authorities detained the goods after establishing that they were connected to the Romanian investigation and in order to prevent any attempt to divert or export them from Bulgaria.

The operation was carried out thanks to close cooperation between the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and Bulgarian customs authorities, the Customs Agency said. The investigation is ongoing.

Photos: Bulgarian Customs Agency