21 arrested for transportation, sale of excise-free tobacco in February
Tobacco products from different brands, worth over ₾226,000 ($86,892) and intended for sale by the offenders, were seized in the efforts. Photo: is.ge
Tweet 
Share
The Investigation Service of the Georgian Finance Ministry arrested 21 individuals for illegal transportation and sale of excise-free tobacco throughout February.
The body published the statistics on Tuesday, noting its professionals had seized 46,116 packages of the product in operations during the month.
Tobacco products from different brands, worth over ₾226,000 ($86,892) and intended for sale by the offenders, were seized in the efforts.
The crime is punishable by between six and eight years in prison.
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 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.
Fines will be increased for the sale of cigarette and other tobacco products within a 50-meter radius of Georgian educational institutions, a bill drafted by the Georgian government says.
Customs officers seized a total of 6,820 undeclared cigarettes at the Red Bridge (a crossing point between Georgia and Azerbaijan on the Tbilisi-Ganja road) and Sarpi (located in the south-west of Georgia on the border with Turkey) customs crossing points in Georgia.