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YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. The special investigative service of Armenia continues investigating the smuggling of different agricultural products, including Azerbaijani apples, and bribery among customs officers.
The probe revealed that several businessmen have smuggled fruits and vegetables to Armenia with the help of state revenue committee officers, who have been on their payroll.
4 citizens and 4 state revenue committee officials have been charged for bribery and smuggling.
The citizens have regularly smuggled large quantities of agricultural products through the Bagratashen checkpoint, and illegally sold the product in the local market. The undeclared goods resulted in 7,341,312 drams in damages, with an additional 907,680 drams in damages for illicit selling.
Law enforcement agencies revealed that the smugglers had accomplices, who would distribute the goods among themselves in Georgia, and sometimes in the vehicles of other individuals, and later load the product into the smugglers’ car upon crossing the Bagratashen checkpoint. The accomplices have been paid by the smugglers for their actions. The illegal operations of the abovementioned individuals resulted in 8 million drams of damages.
In some cases, a local of Bagratashen, who is an accomplice of the smugglers, bribed the customs officers of Bagratashen’s SRC pre-clearance department for crossing the border without obstacles.
In addition, the customs officers accepted bribes from other people as well, to allow undeclared agricultural products to be smuggled into the country.
Four customs officers were bribed by two illegal businessmen to allow undeclared fruits and vegetables, including Azerbaijani apples, to be smuggled into the country.
Investigation continues.