The Government of the Republic of Armenia has continued its fight against smuggling in 2023, building on the previous year’s increase in maximum penalties for smuggling activities. In 2022, the Revenue Committee revealed a total of 393 cases of smuggling, which was a marked increase of 11.97% compared to the previous year’s figure of 351 cases.

According to NEWS.am, there has been an upward trend in the disclosure of hidden goods, particularly in the trade of tobacco products within the Republic of Armenia. This increase in discoveries has been the highest in recent years. In 2023, a total of 373 cases of smuggling of tobacco products and psychotropic substances were uncovered and officially documented.

The disclosure of hidden goods has varied from year to year, showing fluctuations in the types of smuggled items. Here is a breakdown of the cases detected in different years for various substances:

Marijuana: 0.86 cases (2021), 10.6 cases (2022), 13.00211 cases (2023)

Methamphetamine: 1.38 cases (2021), 7.3 cases (2022), 12.49 cases (2023)

Hashish: 0.33 cases (2021), 0 cases (2022), 2.21 cases (2023)

Fentanyl: 0 cases (2021), 0 cases (2022), 80 doses (2023)

Cocaine: 2.74 cases (2021), 0.078 cases (2022), 1.223 cases (2023)

The latest developments in Armenia’s fight against smuggling were reported by NEWS.am.