Official Accused of Drug Possession Released

On November 25, a senior investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia, Razmik Adamyan, submitted a request to the Shengavit Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan to impose a two-month detention on Arthur Hayrapetyan, a 50-year-old resident of Yerevan, on charges of drug possession.

Judge Davit Balayan, upon conducting a closed court session and returning from the deliberation room, decided to reject the senior investigator's request. Consequently, A. Hayrapetyan, against whom a criminal case had been initiated for drug possession, was released from court.

According to sources, one of the individuals detained alongside him, M. Mosinyan, has been identified as the director of “Kamero” LLC, while E. Poghosyan works for the “Yandex” taxi service.

The individual released by the court is Arthur Hayrapetyan, the head of the Eco-Tourism Support and Development Division of the Ministry of Environment and a 50-year-old official.

It was previously reported that on November 22, based on operational information received by the staff of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Yerevan Police, and in cooperation with their colleagues from the Central Criminal Investigation Division, several citizens were detained near the Vernissage marketplace on Khanjian Street on suspicion of drug possession and use. Those detained included Yerevan residents 40-year-old Gevorg Petrosyan, 50-year-old Arthur Hayrapetyan, 48-year-old Manvel Mosinyan, and 50-year-old Eduard Poghosyan.

The specified individuals were in a Mercedes vehicle.

The source also noted that during a personal search, 1 syringe filled with about 1.5 ml of a transparent liquid, wrapped in a napkin, containing approximately 1.2 g of a greenish substance, was found on Gevorg Petrosyan. Additionally, a wooden pipe, an empty syringe with a capacity of 10 mg, and 1 complete tablet along with 2.5 tablets resembling Subutex were found on Arthur Hayrapetyan, while 3 tablets labeled “Lyrica 10 mg” were found on Manvel Mosinyan.

During the examination of the scene, a syringe with a capacity of 0.2 ml containing 0.1 ml of a colorless liquid with a distinctive odor was found on the front right seat of the Mercedes vehicle. Furthermore, a polyethylene bag labeled “Vaga-farm,” containing 4 open syringe packages, 1 empty 2 ml syringe, 1 glass vial, 2 empty 2 ml vials, and 1 half-filled 2 ml liquid vial, as well as 49 yellow pills, was discovered on the front right floor mat.