The Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia has arrested two individuals and charged them with property damage and manufacture and use of forged customs documents, the state authority said on Wednesday.
In its investigation, the Service found the arrested individuals had imported 325 vehicles to Georgia for transit between 2019-2021, indicating the vehicles were intended to be subsequently exported.
The Finance Ministry agency said instead of the indicated purpose, the persons had then dismantled the vehicles and sold their parts without the customs clearance, instead of facilitating the export.
Along with violations of customs regulations, the act caused the state budget a loss of ₾1,474,921 (about $478,098/€441, 523), the authority said.
The crime is punishable by 11 to 15 years in prison.