Participation of Entente soldiers and officers in the smuggling trade in Bulgaria after the end of the First World War
Participation of Entente soldiers and officers in the smuggling trade in Bulgaria after the end of the First World War

Summary/Abstract: This article presents the participation of Entente soldiers and officers in the smuggling trade in Bulgaria after the end of the First World War. During the War, various regulations and restrictions were introduced in the Bulgarian economy and trade necessary to guarantee supplies to the army and the population. After the end of the war, the situation was temporarily maintained, with the DECPP being the main institution responsible for monitoring and regulating the country’s economic structures and processes. The Entente soldiers are actively involved in the smuggling trade, which is helped by the fact that they do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Bulgarian court and their control bodies do not always respond to the signals of the Bulgarian authorities. Smuggling is also assisted by some organizational problems in the Border Guard service – the insufficient number of people and the poor living conditions in which they have to fulfill their duties. Soldiers are reported to be leaving the border posts, which are destroyed during the war, and spending the night in the surrounding villages. Individual Entente soldiers and officers are involved in the smuggling trade, and their role is rather peripheral. They were used to provide channels for smuggling because their military units were situated at key locations in the transport network and had control of the border areas.

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