Bulgaria seizes €5 million worth of gold on border with Turkey

Authorities in Bulgaria have seized a record 125 kg of gold at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint on the border with Turkey.

The haul, which includes undeclared gold castings, jewelry, bars, coins, and other gold items valued at €5 million, was seized in a collaborative operation involving Kapitan Andreevo Customs, the State Agency for National Security, and the Border Police.

The seizure was disclosed at a joint briefing on Friday, attended by officials from Bulgaria’s customs agency and interior ministry.

The driver, a Bulgarian national, was arrested and charged while another man with Bulgarian and Turkish citizenship was in the car with him, officials said at the briefing.

"We acquired information about the smuggling ring several months ago. It goes from Europe via Bulgaria to Turkey," Interior Minister Atanas Ilkov said.

The smuggled gold was hidden in a vehicle leaving Bulgaria for Turkey. During the thorough customs inspection, officials discovered gold castings, bullion, coins, and other items hidden in the car's airbag compartment, after removing the dashboard cover.

Georgi Dimov, director of the Customs Agency, said "the meticulous customs inspection lasted more than 13 hours," marking it as the largest amount of smuggled gold ever seized at the Bulgarian border.

Bulgaria, which lies on a drug route from the Middle East to Western Europe, has taken massive steps in recent years to prevent drug trafficking and smuggling.