Finance ministry investigation service arrests 2 for gold, medicine smuggling attempt

The Georgian finance ministry’s investigation service has arrested two  individuals, including a foreign citizen, at the Sarpi customs checkpoint in south-west for an attempt of smuggling medicine and gold items in “especially large quantities”.

The state body announced on Tuesday its investigation had established an Azerbaijani citizen had attempted to smuggle ₾15,762 (about $5,717) worth of medicines across the border by circumventing customs control at the checkpoint between Georgia and Turkey.

As part of the same case, a Georgian citizen was found to have attempted smuggling in gold items worth ₾56,000 (about $20,312) through the same means.

The crimes are punishable by five to seven years in prison.