446 kg of heroin in 6 months: Customs Committee reveals smuggling cases

The Customs Committee's Directorate for the Fight against Smuggling has published data on smuggling and customs violations for the first half of 2021. It has been noted that there has been a significant increase in discoveries. Between January and June 2021, 311 cases of customs violations were recorded. Criminal cases were initiated in 231 instances, and administrative proceedings were started in 80 cases.

The cases include 446 kg of heroin, 1 kg of α-PVP, 0.4 kg of marijuana, 0.3 kg of methamphetamine, 0.3 kg of mephedrone, 0.3 kg of hashish, approximately 60 grams of cocaine, 100 blotters containing LSD-type narcotics, 114 cartridges of e-cigarettes containing hash oil, about 69 grams of tetrahydrocannabinol, and 46 confections containing these drugs, 15.57 grams of psilocybin, 5.5 grams of MDMA, nearly 1 gram of DMT, as well as 18,019 pills and blister packs containing narcotics and psychotropic substances.

The Directorate for the Fight against Smuggling has also prevented other violations, including the non-declaration of $69,000 in cash and 26 cases of illegal transporting of cartridges, among others. The largest case was uncovered at the beginning of the year when 351 kg of heroin was found in a shipment imported from Iran. In connection with this case, six individuals of various nationalities were arrested.

There were also instances of drug and psychotropic substances smuggling discovered in postal shipments. Directorate employees uncovered 137.85 grams of α-PVP narcotics in a postal shipment exported from Armenia to Georgia. Both the sender and the recipient of the shipment were arrested. Additionally, from a postal shipment imported from Ukraine to Armenia, about 372 grams of mephedrone were uncovered, hidden among containers of cosmetic products.

The second largest discovery of the half-year—95 kg of heroin—was found by Customs Committee employees at the Armenian-Iranian border, in a truck operated by a Turkish citizen. He intended to transport the narcotics from Armenia to Ukraine.