Photo credit: BBC
Smuggling of drugs, weapons, and counterfeit goods, as well as trafficking of irregular migrants, were uncovered during a week-long operation dubbed Balkan Bridge II that ended on Sunday, head of the General Directorate Border Police Anton Zlatanov and Deputy Director of the National Customs Agency Stefan Bakalov reported during a press briefing at the Kapitan Andreevo border control checkpoint in Bulgaria.
The Bulgarian News Agency reports that the operation was conducted at all Bulgarian border checkpoints and involved the General Directorate Border Police, National Customs Agency, officers from the UK, Germany, the US, France, Austria and Italy, as well as observers from Japan, Greece and Romania.
Seven undocumented third-country nationals were discovered hidden in secret compartments installed in vehicles. The operation seized over 58 kg of narcotic substances; over 300,000 unstamped cigarettes; 58,680 vials of e-cigarette liquid; over 22,300 counterfeit textile items; 9,000 bottles of perfume; eau de toilette and cosmetic products; 1,750 packs of medicine; two rubber dinghies used for smuggling migrants across the English Channel from France to the UK; and over 1,130 parts for firearms and ammunition, as well as other prohibited goods.
