Published at 23 March 2001

Contraband channel hidden since 1998

No one has been punished, customs-house officer checked the goods was ''suicided'' and an examination based on an article published in ''24 hours'' daily starts.

Stanimir Vaglenov

Contraband cigarettes channel was revealed in Bulgaria in 1998 after Austrian customs administration gave warnings of its existing. However the information for that channel has not been announced in public. No one was punished, the investigation of National Service for Fight with Organized Criminality has fallen in a dead-end street, customs officer died under mysterious circumstances, discovered ''24 hours'' daily.
On 4th and 5th January 2000 the newspaper published investigation for contraband of cigarettes through Balkans peninsula and Bulgaria. In this connection an anonymous letter in the editorial office was received. A copy from custom documents was enclosed in it. It made clear that during the two years period from 1997 till 1998 through Bulgarian borders big quantities of imported cigarettes has passed. These smuggling goods secretely had turned into apples, wood chair and even chopped sponge.
Obviously it a matter if a contraband in big quantities and for remarkable amounts of non-paid taxes and fees, defrauded the state revenue.
Probably no one would mention the serial piece of graft through our borders if the Austrian customs-house officials had not took a role in this case.
It is assumed that at Austrian territory a contraband network was broken up and during its disentangle Bulgaria appeared to be involved in the affair, too.
What the implemented examination in 1998 - 1999 reveals?
It was made in cooperation with Euro-customs and Inspector's Department at Customs Agency in Bulgaria. During the period 1997-1998 contraband channel had two main directions:
1. From Macedonia, Bulgaria and Romania towards Western Europe. Leaving Macedonia the good goes, as it was in fact, i.e. as cigarettes, and goes out as cigarettes at Macedonian Deve bayr. Entering Bulgaria at Gyueshevo they are declared as fresh apples, acrile cloths and etc. With such new identity the good gets to Western Europe. As a result there are saved big sums from taxes and fees, defrauded the state revenue.
2. The second direction of the good is from Macedonia to Romania or Western Europe, but in this case it stays in Bulgaria and is distributed in the country. Documentary however it is framed as it had left the country. The control actions made at Bulgarian border town of Oryahovo and Beket in Romania ascertained that documents passed through Bulgarian Customs house were not registered in Romanian customs journals.
An examination of ''24 hours'' daily in General Customs Administration revealed that the documents connected with this case are collected in 20 centimetres folder in tick. In 1998 it was already closed but the results was not announced in public.
Truly in September 1999 the then Customs-house chief Plamen Minev says that Balkan contraband channel for cigarettes is under investigation. Putting together the Customs journals for automobiles passed the Bulgarian-Romanian border, 100 cases of cigarette contraband and excise goods in extremely big quantities for the period 1995 - 1997 had been found. The investigation began in 1996, an examination was ordered at Macedonian border, as well. ''I am expecting after its finalization, together with inquest and prosecutor's office to be brought at light one serious contraband channel and those who receive enormous amounts at the Balkans to be revealed'', says Minev. So far however no one has been punished and no one does announced in public what exactly the examination has discovered. A month after Minev's statement, customs inspector Rumen Iosifov who made the examination was found shot dead in head. He was found on 21th November 1999 at the landing between 7th and 8th floor in a residential building close to the Macedonia Square in Sofia. The official version claims it was a suicide because close to the body his personal Bareta pistol was found. But all evidence concerning this case are against this version and are making it illogical.
According to a representative of a General Customs Administration all results from the examination was handled to Austrian Customs officers - remained very satisfied from it. The data was given to Internal Ministry as well,

to check if there is a crime, at all.

''24 hours'' daily asked the press center of Internal Ministry is there data showing that in revealed from Iosifov firms participate criminals and other people, connected with the ruling circles in Bulgaria. The names of the companies are written with pen from the dead inspector over a leaf of paper from the examination documents: ''Alpy'' Ltd., ''Bon chance'', ''Helena'', ''Interelit'', ''Icheli'' Ltd., ''Stoev - Georgi Stoev'' Co.
Internal Ministry claims that concerning the prosecutor's correspondence, in 2000 a preliminary examination was made from National Service for Fight with the Organized Criminality, connected with confiscated from the Customs-house cigarettes. They were purchased by auction from ''Alpy''Ltd., in which co-owners are Liubomir Enchev and Ivan Karakachanov. National Service for Fight with the Organized Criminality found out that the export of the cigarettes through border post Gyueshevo is legal.
The policeman have no data showing the co-owners of the firm as ones with criminal files, or that they were involved in contraband during 1997 - 1998.
On 17 May 2000 National Service for Fight with the Organized Criminality prevents a contraband export of cigarettes with destination Great Britain. In truck at Kalotina border post 340 master boxes ''Superkings'' cigarettes were found out for approximately 875 000 US dollars. The contraband was hidden into 4000 hollow beams, manufactured in a workshop in Plovdiv custom made for the criminal filed Valentin L from town of Kyustendil. The export was organized by Robert Bogdanov owner of ''Interelit'' company as of ''Robi comerce'', ''Sologutzi'' and ''Trans express - 97'', as well. It became clear that the same Robert through the same firm continues to contraband two years after customs-house examination has captured him in 1998.
It is most likely that he even now is occupied with the same very thankful and profitable business.
For the rest of the firms mentioned in ''24 hours'' daily, National Service for Fight with the Organized Criminality does not have information being involved in the contraband. But we however have data that the son of high state employee from the ruling circles is connected with one of them. The other one belongs to the brother of the boss of one of the well-known fight groups. Separately from all written above a contraband cigarettes channel is ''served'' from other powerful group, close to the governors. We are expecting National Service for Fight with the Organized Criminality

to check more precisely the data we are giving them.

The good news is that the Supreme cassation Prosecutor's office has opened a correspondence concerning the investigation of ''24 hours'' daily from January about the cigarette contraband. The correspondence is assigned to the National Service for Fight with the Organized Criminality for preliminary control.
Antimafia men explain that the destinations for cigarette traffic from Varna and Bourgas towards Kosowo, Albania and Montenegro according to scheme, published in the newspaper, had been objects of their attention ever since the second three-month period of the year. In July 2000 6 examinations of a transit passing loads with cigarettes from town of Varna through Gyueshevo towards Kosowo and Montenegro are made.
National Service for Fight with the Organized Criminality did not find any ficticious export to be realized in the country.