29.5M Ruble Smuggling Attempt Thwarted at Bagratashen

The Investigative Committee reports that during the preliminary investigation of a criminal proceeding being examined in the General Department for Investigation of Economic Crimes and Smuggling, as a result of large-scale procedural and evidentiary actions, it was revealed that a foreign citizen, acting as part of a group in prior agreement with three Armenian citizens, committed smuggling of cash by concealing it from customs control, and without customs declaration, transported a particularly large amount—29,510,000 Russian rubles—from Armenia to Georgia, which was discovered at the "Bagratashen" border checkpoint as a result of customs control carried out by customs officers of the RA SRC.

"During the preliminary investigation, the amount that was the subject of smuggling was seized.

Public criminal prosecution has been initiated against four persons under Article 291, Part 2, Points 2 and 4 of the Criminal Code (smuggling of cash and/or payment instruments in particularly large amounts by a group of persons).

The criminal proceeding, with the indictment, has been sent to the supervising prosecutor with a motion to confirm it and send it to court for substantive examination," the message states.