Customs Officers at Kapitan Andreevo Border Crossing Seize €101,900 Hidden in Lorry Dashboard

Customs officers have discovered €101,900 concealed in the dashboard of a lorry at the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing. The case is the latest involving undeclared currency detected during checks at Bulgaria’s borders.

A financial guarantee of €10,000 has been set in the case. The driver is a 27-year-old Turkish national travelling from Germany to Turkey.

Diana Markova, an expert at the Bulgarian Customs Agency, said: “The money was found during a customs inspection of a lorry travelling from Germany through Bulgaria to Turkey. Following a risk analysis, the vehicle was selected for a detailed check. When the dashboard in the driver’s cabin was dismantled, well-packaged euro banknotes of various denominations – €200, €150 and €20 – were discovered in the air duct. The total value of the undeclared funds is €101,900. These are significant sums and are most likely linked to illegal activity.”

Pre-trial proceedings have been opened in the case. In the course of it, the driver has to prove the origin of the funds.

Failure to do so could result in their confiscation by the state and a prison sentence of between one and six years.

Markova added that such cases are not uncommon: “Last month, we discovered €220,000 hidden in a bag beneath chocolate products. People are inventive, but customs officers are doing their job.”

Since the beginning of the year, undeclared funds seized at the border have totalled €655,000. Last year, the figure exceeded €5.8 million. The money is most often transported from Western Europe through Bulgaria to Turkey.

In addition to cash, customs officers have also seized investment gold. This month, 400 grams were found, divided into six bars with a value exceeding €50,000. Proof of origin is also required in such cases.

Authorities remind travellers that declaring sums above €10,000 is mandatory, including details of their purpose, economic origin, owner and recipient.