Haskovo Regional Court will hold a preliminary hearing tomorrow, Friday 6 November, at 10:00 in courtroom No. 7 in the case against the head of the Plovdiv Territorial Directorate, the court said. The defendant, M.V.B., is charged with abuse of power over a truck carrying cigarettes that was diverted for inspection at the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing.

The case, No. 421/2026, follows an indictment by the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office. The charge falls under Article 282, paragraphs 2 and 1 of the Criminal Code. M.V.B. is an official under Article 93, point 1, letter "a" of the Criminal Code, in a senior position.

The vehicle is a tractor unit with a trailer, which was carrying MATADOR COMPACT cigarettes in transit from Georgia to the Netherlands. Officers of the Customs Agency and the Interior Ministry's Border Police Directorate diverted it for a joint check on 12 April 2025, after the EU anti-fraud office OLAF passed on information about the movement of high-risk goods. The load was 1,400 master boxes, each holding 50 cartons. Each carton held 10 packs, and each pack held 20 cigarettes.

Prosecutors say that on 17 April 2025 M.V.B. asked for the truck to be handed over to him. He made the request to the head of a unit at the crossing in Svilengrad municipality, who organises, controls and coordinates the work of staff there. The charge says his actions went beyond the limits and scope of his territorial authority.

The truck was to travel as a customs convoy from Kapitan Andreevo to the Vidin customs point, in an official car with chief inspectors from the Plovdiv customs office. From Vidin it was due to leave Bulgaria.

Prosecutors say the aim was to benefit the company S.S.K.S., which would not have paid the full excise duty of €1,492,649.50 (2,919,000 leva). Cigarettes are excise goods, and the tax can fall due as soon as they move, including through the EU states the truck crosses in transit. Prosecutors use the same sum to describe the possible harm to the state budget, which they say is not minor.

The offence carries a prison term of one to eight years. The court can also bar the defendant from holding a certain state or public post.