PM Boyko Borissov: Over 62 Tonnes of Cut Tobacco Detained by the Customs and the Ministry of the Interior

Over 62 tonnes of cut tobacco have been detained by the Customs and the Ministry of the Interior, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told a press conference on the results of an empty pack survey showing trends and levels of illicit cigarette trafficking in the second quarter of 2019, Focus News Agency reported.

"If you turn these 62 tonnes of tobacco into cigarettes, you can count how many trucks these are. My colleagues from Slovakia and Hungary expressed their gratitude for the cooperation of their [law enforcement agencies] with our anti-organised crime unit. Two powerful gangs in Hungary and Slovakia have been dismantled - similar to the arrests Bulgaria made in Plovdiv - operating with our know-how and our supplies. Back then, it was the CDs, if you remember, when [Bulgarian] authorities came after them, they moved to Montenegro and other places. Now that they've seen, they have no chance in Bulgaria, they started to export their factories elsewhere. But we continue to cooperate with the foreign authorities and at least 10-15 factories outside Bulgaria have been dismantled with data and information provided from our law enforcement bodies," the prime minister said.