Smuggled cars, counterfeit shoes and checks at the biggest border crossing point in Europe – read about the work of Frontex officers in May. Here are last month’s stories from the field!
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Last month in the field: May 2024
2024-06-07
Smuggled cars in Bulgaria
Same method, same border crossing point, uncovered during the same shift by the same EU border guards...
Too many similarities? Well, that’s probably what the two drivers of different nationalities counted on while trying to scam the same rental car company. It didn’t work though. Our EU border guards deployed in Bulgaria, at the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing point, were there Together with the Bulgarian border police officers, they managed to stop the 400.000 euro crime.
How did they do it? 'It was teamwork all the way. The initial feeling that something is wrong comes natural after years of work experience, but confirming it takes some time and shared efforts,' said Catalin, one of the Frontex officers involved in both detections.
The biggest border crossing point in Europe
Seven stolen cars worth over 500 000 euro, detected in just one month, in addition to drugs and other cross-border crimes.
How? With dedication and proficiency. Where? In the biggest border crossing point (BCP) in Europe, and the second in the world. By whom? Our EU border guards deployed there.
Kapitan Andreevo BCP is a Mecca for border guards, due to its professional growth potential, and the end of the road for all sorts of criminals Located in Bulgaria, at the border with Türkiye, it recorded 7.6 million passengers last year with 3.5 million vehicles.
'The Frontex team here is amazing. My colleagues are reliable, and willing to go above and beyond while doing their work,' said Daniel, Frontex group leader in Kapitan Andreevo.
Our EU border guards deployed there have solid expertise in detecting cross-border crime, stolen vehicles, and fraudulent travel documents. Together with a canine team, they have become renowned for their proficiency.
Apart from that, the EU border guards deployed in Kapitan Andreevo BCP have another thing in common. They all speak highly about the Bulgarian authorities’ professionalism and their openness to teamwork.
Counterfeit shoes in Romania
Criminals shaking in their shoes! Two successful detections of huge smuggling transports by EU and Romanian border guards in Constanta:
- 7 032 pairs of counterfeit shoes
- 1 587 600 euros value
How did they do it?
Based on risk analysis from Frontex, the cross-border crime detection officers selected the containers for control. An enigmatic label “shoes” raised their immediate suspicion and led to a successful detection, which stopped the illegal products from entering the EU markets.
Frontex supports EU countries with their analytics and risk data. In Constanta, the Romanian experts cooperate closely with the crime detection officers deployed by Frontex. They check thousands of containers each month. Their professionalism and experience combined with Frontex analytics have led to innumerable detections.
As for the smugglers… Nobody would like to be in their shoes now. They are all facing legal proceedings.
