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    • €374,000 in undeclared cash found concealed in jacket at –Serbia-Bulgaria border

    2026-03-11

    Officers from the Serbian Border Police, Serbian Customs and Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, have intercepted more than €374,000 in undeclared cash at the Gradina border crossing, concealed inside a jacket modified with hidden compartments. 

    The detection came during a routine exit-lane inspection of a German-registered vehicle travelling from Serbia into Bulgaria. Officers acting on strategic risk analysis directed the vehicle and its two occupants, a 53-year-old German national and a 56-year-old Turkish national, to a secondary inspection. 

    A search of the driver revealed that his jacket had been modified with several handmade internal compartments containing €195,000 in cash. A further search of the luggage uncovered an additional €179,000 and $7,500. The driver stated that the funds were intended for the purchase of construction materials in Turkey. 

    Under Serbian and EU cash control rules, travellers must declare currency above the legal threshold when crossing the border. Failure to do so may result in seizure and legal proceedings. 

    Undeclared cash is a key enabler of organised crime and intercepting it at the border — before it disappears into the financial system — is one of the most effective interventions we can make. This result shows what is possible when national authorities and Frontex combine their expertise: targeted risk analysis, trained officers, and the willingness to look beyond the obvious. Angelos Kaskampaniotis, Field Communications Officer, Fronte

    The currency has been seized by Serbian Customs. Both individuals have been detained by the Serbian Border Police and are subject to a criminal investigation. 

    Frontex deploys Standing Corps officers to support national authorities at border crossings across the EU and in partner countries including Serbia. At Gradina and other crossing points, Standing Corps officers work alongside national staff on joint risk analysis, document checks and targeted inspections to detect cross-border crime, including the illegal movement of cash and goods. 

    The illegal movement of large sums of undeclared cash is a key enabler of organised crime, money laundering and tax evasion. EU regulations require travellers entering or leaving the EU to declare cash of €10,000 or more to customs authorities. Serbia applies equivalent rules at its borders in line with its obligations under the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Agreement.