Bulgaria will end the illegal practice of cleaning cars at the Turkish border, the country's interior minister said on Thursday.

Ivan Demerciev said the practice known as the "golden lake," which charges the state without being accountable for cleaning vehicles entering from Türkiye, will stop.

''The income of millions of Bulgarian Lev that the mafia-affiliated people have earned through illegal fees at the border for ten years will now be given to the state. The state will finally take over this business. We will end the money cut into someone's pockets,'' Demerciev told reporters as he made an unexpected visit and inspection at the border crossing from Kapıkule Kapitan to Türkiye.

"Golden lake" has been the subject of debate for years. Golden lake is the name of the company that charges the fees.

Every vehicle entering Bulgaria from Türkiye is subject to a €3 ($3.26) fee for the automobile to be disinfected with a spray that is pure water.