SOFIA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian authorities at the Danube Bridge near the northwestern town of Vidin have captured 6.120 million smuggled cigarettes hidden in a refrigerator truck, the National Customs Agency (NCA) said on Wednesday.
The illegal shipment was found on Sunday, when the vehicle transporting citrus fruits and vegetables from Greece to Poland was stopped for a thorough customs inspection based on centralized risk analysis, the NCA said.
The cigarettes of three popular brands without a Bulgarian excise stamp were discovered hidden behind six pallets with the official cargo, the NCA said.
The market value of the cigarettes seized was about 1.15 million euros (1.34 million U.S. dollars), and the amount of the unpaid excise duty was 691,560 euros, it said.
The driver, a citizen of Ukraine, was arrested, and an investigation is underway. ■
