NUMBER OF SMUGGLING CASES DOUBLES IN FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF 2005
COMPARED WITH SAME PERIOD OF LAST YEAR

YEREVAN, JUNE 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The number of smuggling cases and
instances of customs rules breach, which were revealed by the RA
Government-affiliated State Customs Committee (SCC) bodies during the
first five months of 2005, was twice as many as the number of such
violations in the same period of 2004. According to the SCC press
service, in January-June, 2005, 190 cases of a total amount of 1 bln
756 mln drams were registered against 93 cases of 287 mln drams (about
645 thousand USD) in the same months of last year. In the period under
review, 8 cases of gold, jewelry and medicine smuggling and 1 case of
cigarette smuggling were discovered, with the violations being mainly
registered at the Bagratashen, Bavra and Zvartnots customs points.