Queues at Border Checkpoints: The Cause of the SCS's Strict Control is Smuggling Attempts by a Company

Queues have formed recently at the Armenian-Georgian border checkpoint and the Upper Lars checkpoint, causing dissatisfaction among many businesses. The reason for the increased customs control at the border is reportedly linked to the activities of the company "Ar. Tobacco," according to information from Radar Armenia.

According to the same sources, the State Revenue Committee (SRC) has intensified its oversight due to repeated customs violations. Recently, the SRC announced that they uncovered cases of 1,114,000 boxes of cigarettes being sold by the tobacco manufacturer “Ar. Tobacco” without excise tax stamps, resulting in an estimated loss of around 416 million AMD to the state. A criminal case has been initiated.

Reports indicate that “Ar. Tobacco” is linked to former commander of the Artsakh Defense Army, Samvel Babayan.