Customs Officers Uncover Nearly 3 Million BGN in Undeclared Currency at Kapitan Andreevo Border Crosssing

Customs officers at the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint have uncovered two separate cases of undeclared currency, with a total value equivalent to 2,788,641 Bulgarian leva (BGN), authorities announced at a joint press briefing on June 9. The announcement was made by Valeri Staikov, Head of the Operational Unit at Kapitan Andreevo, and Maria Kirilova, Deputy District Prosecutor of the Haskovo District Prosecutor’s Office.

On June 7, 2025, a freight vehicle with Polish registration arrived at the checkpoint. The driver, a Turkish citizen, presented valid documents for a groupage shipment traveling from Poland to Turkey via Bulgaria. After a risk assessment, the vehicle was selected for a thorough customs inspection. During the search, officers discovered a textile backpack containing 11 plastic bags filled with euro and U.S. dollar banknotes, hidden in a drawer within the truck’s cabin. The undeclared currency amounted to €900,000 and $500,000, with a total value of approximately 2,617,242 BGN.

Just one day earlier, on June 6, 2025, customs officers uncovered $100,000, equivalent to 171,399 BGN, in another freight vehicle also transporting goods from Poland to Turkey. The cash was concealed behind the driver’s seat, in a personal storage compartment. The driver was also a Turkish national.

“These cases were flagged based on different criteria,” explained Valeri Staikov. “The first truck was selected following a tip-off from the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, while the second was flagged by a customs official operating the weighing scale, who noticed irregularities.”

Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in both cases by investigating customs inspectors under the supervision of the Haskovo District Prosecutor’s Office – Svilengrad Territorial Division.

Since the beginning of 2025, customs officers at Kapitan Andreevo have detected 21 cases of undeclared currency, with a total value nearing 7.79 million BGN..