Two Individuals Charged in Case of Illegal Arms Transfer from Artsakh to Armenia

On November 19, 2020, at around 16:40, officers of the Siunik Police Department of Armenia seized weapons from a "VAZ 2121" vehicle driven by H. Gh., a resident of Ashtarak in the Aragatsotn region, on the 200th kilometer of the Yerevan-Meghri highway. The seized items included one AK-type automatic rifle, 16 grenades, and a total of 105 cartridges of 7.62 mm and 5.45 mm calibers, as well as one cold weapon, a switchblade knife. This information was provided by the General Prosecutor's Office.

A criminal case was initiated on November 19 under Part 1 of Article 235 of the Criminal Code of Armenia, and was sent to the Siunik Investigative Department for further investigation; both individuals involved have been arrested. On the same day, the two were charged under Part 2 of Article 235 of the Criminal Code.

A. M. was charged with illegally obtaining, possessing, and transporting weapons, military ammunition, and explosive devices, in premeditated agreement with H. Gh. to acquire the aforementioned arms illegally in unestablished circumstances from the Republic of Artsakh, and for holding them illegally in the specified vehicle for transport to Armenia. A petition for his arrest as a measure of restraint was submitted to the Siunik Regional Court, which has been granted.

H. Gh. was charged with illegally transferring the weapons obtained unlawfully by A. M. from Goris to Vagharshapat city, which were discovered and seized during a vehicle search on the same day. A signature for not leaving the country has been chosen as a measure of restraint for him.

The investigation is ongoing, and necessary investigative, other procedural measures, as well as operational search activities, are being conducted both to clarify the circumstances of the acquisition of the discovered arms and ammunition, the possible involvement of other individuals in the case, and to verify the potential for acquiring and storing other weapons and ammunition by the aforementioned individuals.