Customs officers found 11,125 items of clothing and sports shoes bearing well-known brand marks in a lorry entering Bulgaria from Greece at the Kapitan Petko Voivoda border crossing, the Customs Agency press office said.

The lorry was chosen for a thorough check after a risk analysis. Officers from the customs investigation and intelligence department of the Plovdiv customs directorate carried it out. The goods were in the cargo hold, among the declared goods.

The driver is a citizen of North Macedonia. His papers were for carrying textiles from Turkey to North Macedonia.

Of the 10,891 textile items seized, most are blouses, jackets and trousers. Another 234 items are sports shoes.

Under an EU regulation, the goods remain detained over suspected breaches of intellectual property rights. The brand owners will be notified and can decide to have the goods destroyed.

In mid-June, customs officers stopped another lorry from Greece near the same crossing. It carried more than 1.6m cigarettes and 4,000 kg of refrigerant. Its papers said it was carrying detergents, wet wipes and air conditioner parts from Turkey to Austria.