Bulgaria seizes 1.75 mln illegal cigarettes at border with Romania

SOFIA, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian authorities at Silistra checkpoint near the border with Romania have captured 1.75 million undeclared cigarettes, officials said here on Friday.

The cigarettes were found on Thursday evening in a Romania-registered truck when it attempted to leave Bulgaria, the Ministry of Interior and the National Customs Agency (NCA) said in a joint statement.

The vehicle, driven by 32-year-old Bulgarian citizen, was declared to be carrying cloth, the statement said.

The driver and his 34-year-old companion were arrested, the statement said.

Due to its location, Bulgaria is a favorite destination for traffickers, with 37.1 million illegal cigarettes seized by the NCA in 2017.