Five arrested for selling excise-free cigarettes designated for destruction
As part of the investigative efforts, the Service seized 5,241 packages of cigarettes worth over ₾22,000 ($8,337) that had been designated by the group for sale as part of their scheme. Photo: The Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia.
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The Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia on Tuesday said it had arrested five individuals for sale of excise-free cigarettes designated for destruction through use of fake documents on the elimination of the products.
The Ministry said the group had been employed in a company that had been selected as the contractor of the State Property Agency of the Economy Ministry for the destruction of excise-free tobacco products that had been removed from market circulation.
Instead of destroying the products, the offenders signed fake documentation on their elimination while selling the cigarettes through individual citizens, it added.
As part of the investigative efforts, the Service seized 5,241 packages of cigarettes worth over ₾22,000 ($8,337) that had been designated by the group for sale as part of their scheme.
The products were seized in capital Tbilisi and the eastern cities of Rustavi and Gardabani, with the arrested group including the director of the contractor company.
The offenders face between six and eight years in prison.
The Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia arrested nine individuals for illegal storage, transportation and selling of excise-free tobacco products in the country in January, the state body said on Friday.
Georgian authorities arrested an individual for illegal storage and transportation of a “large amount” of excise-free tobacco products, the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia said on Wednesday.
The Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia arrested six individuals for illegal storage, transportation and selling of excise-free tobacco products in the country in December, the state body said on Friday.
Georgian authorities identified 393 cases of illegal storage and transportation of excise-free tobacco products in the country in June, the Revenue Service announced on Wednesday.
Four individuals have been arrested for group extortion of large amounts of money, group violence, illegal possession of drugs and failure to report crime, Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said on Wednesday.
The Investigation Service of the Georgian Finance Ministry arrested 21 individuals for illegal transportation and sale of excise-free tobacco throughout February.