Officers from the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, working together with the Customs Department of the Revenue Service and the Prosecutor General’s Office, have arrested a suspect following intelligence-led operations into large-scale customs smuggling.
According to the agency, operational intelligence led investigators to intercept a Georgian national entering the country through the Sarpi customs checkpoint on the Turkish border.
A search of the suspect’s vehicle revealed nearly eight kilograms of gold jewellery concealed inside a specially modified spare car battery.
The customs value of the seized precious metal and jewellery amounts to nearly 1.7 million GEL.
An investigation has been launched under Article 214, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which addresses serious breaches of customs procedures in large-scale goods transportation. If convicted, the suspect faces five to seven years’ imprisonment.
