Border police from the Giurgiu, Calafat, Călărași and Bechet sectors have carried out a coordinated enforcement operation under CLEAN BORDER III SOUTH, targeting illegal migration and cross-border crime.
The action focused on key national routes (DN 5, DN 56, DN 3 and DN 55), where officers stopped multiple vehicles — including coaches, cars, a minibus and commercial transport — operating on international routes such as Turkey–Romania, Bulgaria–Romania, Bulgaria–Germany, Bulgaria–Republic of Moldova and Greece–Romania.
During inspections, officers uncovered significant quantities of suspected counterfeit and illicit goods:
- 4,202 items including clothing, footwear, leather goods and perfumery products bearing protected brand names and suspected of being counterfeit
- 30,640 cigarettes (1,532 packs) of various brands carrying Bulgarian tax stamps
The goods were being transported by Turkish, Ukrainian, Moldovan, Bulgarian and Romanian nationals aged between 21 and 74, none of whom could provide valid documentation proving the origin or authenticity of the products.
The estimated value of the seized goods is:
- Approximately 694,100 lei for counterfeit items
- Over 43,600 lei for the cigarettes
All items have been confiscated and placed under secure storage to support ongoing investigations.
Border police have issued administrative sanctions and initiated criminal proceedings for:
- Circulating products bearing registered trademarks without authorization
- Possession and transport of excisable goods beyond legal limits without proper marking
This operation underlines the continued pressure on EU land borders from counterfeit goods and illicit tobacco flows, and demonstrates the importance of coordinated, multi-sector enforcement actions.