YEREVAN. – In 2020, an unprecedented increase in smuggling cases was registered in Armenia—426, which is 141% more than the indicator registered in 2018, and 112% more than the indicator registered in 2019. Vardan Vardanyan, head of the Anti-smuggling Department of the State Revenue Committee (SRC), told this to a press conference on Wednesday, adding that the respective detection rates in 2020 have been the highest in the last ten years.

He noted that criminal cases had been filed in 296 of these cases, and, in addition, 130 administrative cases had been filed for concealment—from customs services—of goods imported.

"In 2020, administrative offenses related to car imports have doubled to 55 against 22 in 2019," the SRC official added.

According to him, the import of drugs and psychotropic substances by mail is growing sharply—82% of all cases—in Armenia, whereas their import through the land border has decreased, which is due to the restriction of movement through Iran.

Vardanyan stressed that it is necessary to separate the cases when Armenia has become a transit area from the cases when the country has become the destination of these cases of smuggling. Accordingly, five drug trafficking attempts were prevented in 2020.

The SRC official drew attention to the importance of cooperation with other agencies, which resulted in the detection of an illegal import of diamonds this year when the importer had reduced actual the number of carats in the customs declaration.

"In November 2020, within the framework of international cooperation, the United States donated $170,000 worth of equipment to the SRC. This year, in cooperation with the World Customs Organization, it is planned to introduce new detection systems, it is planned to improve the training opportunities for the [SRC] personnel, as well as to carry out other important reforms," Vardan Vardanyan concluded.