Cigarette smuggling has dropped

Smuggling of cigarettes has dropped to 4.7%, data by tobacco companies shows for the period covering the second quarter of the year.

For comparison, the same indicator was 5.8% in March. The highest level of cigarette smuggling remains in Haskovo, Veliko Turnovo and Pleven - over 10%. Prime Minister Boyko Borissov commented on the successful international operations with Bulgarian participation, in which rings for production and distribution of cigarettes were disrupted.

Boyko Borissov, Prime Minister: We have conducted exceptionally successful operations abroad, with Europol, with partner services. Bulgarian workers, Bulgarian tobacco were sent abroad. In Spain, we have identified huge factories for millions of euros, arrested Bulgarians and, of course, Spanish citizens. Since 2016, 16 factories in Europe - Hungary, Austria, Spain, Poland have been identified under the international exchange and bilateral cooperation between agencies and Prosecutor’s office.