The State Revenue Committee (SRC) of the Republic of Armenia reported a recent violation of customs regulations in the management of electronic commerce and air transport.
The incident occurred in the customs control area of the arrivals hall at Zvartnots Airport. SRC officials and the Anti-Smuggling Division inspected the luggage of an Armenian citizen arriving on a flight from Sharjah to Yerevan.
During the inspection, they discovered 22 plastic bags containing transparent, diamond-like stones of various sizes, with a total weight of 244 grams.
According to the SRC, if these stones are processed natural diamonds, their value could exceed 8 million drams (over $20,000 USD). It is important to note that processed natural diamonds are classified as strategically important raw materials under a decree by the Government of Armenia.
The customs value of just 29 of the discovered stones surpassed the threshold for large-scale strategically important raw materials, as defined by Article 292 of the Armenian Criminal Code, set at 8 million drams.
A smuggling report was filed in connection with this incident and has been submitted to the Investigative Committee of Armenia for further investigation.
