A high-stakes scandal implicating senior Bulgarian police officers in alleged collusion with a €6 million cigarette smuggling operation has ignited political chaos, with calls for the resignation of Interior Minister Daniel Mitov and demands for judicial reform in the EU’s most impoverished member state, according to Euractiv.
Civil society group BOEC leaked WhatsApp exchanges and raid footage revealing an attempt to suppress a major anti-smuggling operation. In November 2024, six police officers tracked a truck suspected of transporting contraband cigarettes, only to be ordered by superiors to abort the raid.
“Colleagues, withdraw,” wrote their direct supervisor, Ivan Ivanov. Defying orders, the officers intercepted the vehicle, uncovering cigarettes worth €6 million, Bulgaria’s largest-ever single seizure.
BOEC reportedly published the evidence to shield the officers from retaliation. The group alleges commanders involved have ties to Delyan Peevski, a sanctioned MP whose party props up Bulgaria’s ruling coalition. However, Peevski denied wrongdoing, dismissing the claims as “fabricated stories” by rivals.
The scandal has intensified pressure on Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov’s government. Opposition coalition We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) demanded full transparency, including declassification of operational data, a move blocked by the ruling majority.
Internationally, the smuggling network has strained EU relations. Belgian media reported Bulgarian and Turkish cigarette imports cost Belgium €500 million annually in lost excise taxes, with over 25% of cigarettes consumed in Belgium sourced illegally from Bulgaria.
Interior Minister Mitov, of the GERB/EPP party, pledged an internal probe, while GERB leader Boyko Borissov urged “sweeping out” those involved. However, BOEC claims investigations target whistleblowing officers rather than superiors.
With Brussels monitoring closely, the scandal risks further eroding trust in Bulgaria’s institutions and complicating its EU integration efforts.
