Armenian customs officers uncover attempt to smuggle 37,900 packs of cigarettes to US

Armenian customs officers have uncovered an attempt to smuggle 37,900 packs of cigarettes into the United States by concealing them inside laminate doors, the State Revenue Committee (SRC) said.

The SRC had received information indicating that an Armenian-registered business was planning to export a large shipment of tobacco products to the United States through the Cargo freight terminal, concealing them from customs inspection.

Acting on the information, the SRC placed the company’s export shipments under surveillance.

As part of the operation, anti-smuggling officers inspected the laminate doors destined for the United States at the Cargo freight terminal. Each door weighed twice as much as a standard door made of the same material. Officers dismantled all the doors during the inspection, uncovering 37,900 packs of tobacco products manufactured in various countries and lacking excise stamps, which had been concealed from customs inspection.

A report on the customs violation was drawn up, and the case materials were forwarded to the SRC’s Legal Department.