Customs officers discovered 24 drones worth over one million lei in a utility vehicle stopped near the Calafat-Vidin Bridge

The Romanian Customs Authority discovered 24 drones worth a total of 1,011,000 lei this week in a van registered in Bulgaria, which was stopped near the toll station of the Calafat–Vidin Bridge. The inspection was carried out by the mobile and canine teams of the customs services in Craiova and Calafat, together with border police officers.

Two smart flight batteries were also found in the cargo compartment. The driver did not provide supporting documents regarding the origin of the goods and said that the shipment was traveling from Bulgaria to Germany.

According to the customs authorities, the drones were equipped with advanced filming and photography systems, including thermal-imaging cameras, and could fly at high altitude. Two of the devices were transport drones of the type used for cigarette smuggling, each with a capacity of up to 80 kilograms.

The van was taken to the Craiova Regional Customs Directorate, and the goods were seized pending confiscation. The driver was fined 15,000 lei. The Romanian Customs Authority announced that it would continue inspections together with the other authorized institutions to prevent violations of the law.