Customs officers at Bulgaria’s Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint seized 73 combat pistols hidden inside a truck traveling from Turkey to the Netherlands, in what authorities described as one of the most significant weapons interceptions at the site this year.
The vehicle, registered in Turkey and transporting groupage cargo, was selected for detailed inspection after a risk analysis flagged it for further checks. According to the head of the checkpoint, Georgi Gospodinov, X-ray scanning revealed suspicious density patterns inside the cabin.
Gospodinov explained, “The vehicle was diverted for a thorough customs inspection using the risk analysis method. After an inspection with X-ray equipment, unusual densities were found in the cabin.”
During a physical search, customs officers uncovered 50 pistols concealed in the driver’s mattress, along with an additional 23 weapons hidden in a storage cabinet among personal belongings, bringing the total to 73 combat pistols.
Authorities said the operation formed part of a broader enforcement effort targeting arms trafficking routes from the Middle East to Western Europe. The case has been classified as cross-border crime, with officials stressing its links to wider organized criminal activity.
