State Revenue Committee thwarts smuggling attempt of over 68,000 cigarette boxes from Iran

p

YEREVAN, October 25. /ARKA/. The State Revenue Committee has thwarted an attempt to smuggle a large shipment of cigarettes from Iran into Armenia, according to the agency's press service./pp

The committee received operational information from the National Security Service indicating that a significant quantity of tobacco products might be concealed in a truck transporting cargo from Iran./pp

Upon inspecting a truck that arrived from Iran, driven by an Armenian citizen, officials discovered 68,500 boxes of cigarettes lacking excise markings hidden beneath bags of cement./pp

Preliminary calculations indicate that approximately 22.5 million drams in excise taxes were evaded and not paid into the state budget./pp

The cigarette boxes and the truck have been seized and are currently stored at the Agarak customs point. The truck driver has been arrested./pp

A suspect or accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court decision that has entered into legal force, as prescribed by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia. -0-/p