Dozens of Turkish customs officers detained in graft probe at Europe’s busiest border crossing

Anadolu Agency said 38 officers were arrested in a probe by the Edirne Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into graft at the Kapikule border gate on the Turkiye-Bulgaria frontier.

A police surveillance operation set up in January discovered staff taking money from people entering and exiting Turkiye at the crossing, which lies on the E80 highway, Anadolu reported.

The addresses of the 38 suspects were raided, during which police allegedly uncovered European, US and Turkish currency to the value of more than $40,000.

Arrest warrants were also issued for 350 people suspected of paying bribes.

The crossing, which faces Bulgaria’s Kapitan Andreevo border post, is described as Europe’s busiest by the European Union’s border agency, Frontex. It is the main land route into Turkiye for Europe’s large Turkish diaspora.

According to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, Turkiye is an established route for smugglers transporting people, weapons and drugs. 

[AP]-Kathimerini