Smuggling

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has revealed the apprehension of 41 suspects in operations targeting an organized crime syndicate involved in illegal arms production and smuggling across 11 of the country's 81 provinces.

The Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) is establishing a special forces squad for tax and customs audits.

The new large prosecution unit will take over the control of smuggling and tax evasion, with tax and customs officers working directly together, with the assistance of the AADE business chamber.

Customs officer Georgi Gospodinov keeps a vigilant eye out for unusual cargo at Bulgaria's Kapitan Andreevo border crossing, a critical checkpoint in the fight against migrant trafficking to Britain. Despite being over 150 kilometers from the nearest sea, Gospodinov and his colleagues have become instrumental in thwarting smugglers' attempts to transport migrants across the English Channel.

Earlier today, the director of Bulgaria's Customs Agency, Petya Bankova, has found herself at the center of an anti-corruption operation. Police, gendarmerie, and State Agency "National Security" (SANS) officials launched a coordinated operation, conducting searches at Bankova's office and residence, as well as her deputy Ludmil Marinov's premises.

Police in southern Attica have arrested an Italian national against whom an international arrest warrant was pending for his involvement smuggling petroleum products internationally.

According to the Interpol red notice and information from foreign authorities, the man is a leading member of a transnational criminal organization based in a Latin American country.

Five people have been arrested at Athens International Airport for attempting to illegally smuggle thousands of packs of cigarettes into the country.

Airport officials found 20,775 packs of cigarettes hidden in 19 pieces of luggage belonging to five passengers who had arrived on a flight from Ethiopia.

170 kilograms of cocaine were found concealed within a shipment of bananas at the Burgas city's port. The illicit cargo, valued at approximately $6.8 million, marks one of the largest drug seizures in the history of the Burgas Port Complex, BTA reported. No arrests have been made thus far, leaving authorities to grapple with the intricacies of an ongoing investigation.

A Polish citizen has been sentenced to one year and three months in prison by the Sofia District Prosecutor's Office for trafficking migrants through Bulgaria. The verdict serves as a stern warning against illegal activities related to human smuggling, emphasizing the severity with which such crimes are treated.

Heightened security measures are underway at the carnival celebration in the city of Patras, northern Peloponnese, with continuous police checks aimed at preventing thefts, drug trafficking and combating smuggling.

Greek authorities on Monday rescued 100 migrants found on a smuggling vessel in distress off the country's southern mainland, officials said.

The coast guard said the migrants were taken off their vessel by a tugboat that had been ordered to the area and safely carried them to the southeastern village of Monemvasia. No injuries were reported.