The National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia, keeping the international illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs under monitoring, considering it as one of the expressions of transnational crime, strictly observing international law and domestic legislation, carrying out consistent fight against the mentioned perverse phenomenon that threatens the national security, as a result of operative- search measures and investigative activities undertaken within the framework of its functions vested upon it by law, in order to detect and prevent the channels of illegal import of drugs and to bring persons involved in criminal schemes to justice, detected another case of attempted illegal import and export of drugs in especially large amount.

Particularly, as a result of cooperation between the officers of the RA NSS and the officers of the aviation security service of "Armenia International Airports” CJSC on 15 February 2020 a suspicious passenger of the Yerevan-Kiev flight who passed the customs control zone was checked and the factory packaged candies containing type of “opium” drug in especially large amount with a total weight of 5kg,  was found in the luggage of the citizen of IRI, which the latter tried to smuggle through the territory of Ukraine to the Great Britain.

As a result of undertaken operative - search measures and investigative activities, information has been received that on 12 February 2020 above mentioned person entered the RA by Tehran - Yerevan flight and established residence in one of the hotels of Yerevan. Same day she received the above mentioned batch of drugs which was transferred to the RA from Iran by smuggling, from co-offender who arrived to the RA through customs point of Megri.

The criminal case was initiated in the Investigation Department of RA on the fact of an apparent crime according to the corresponding articles of the RA Criminal Code. The smuggler was brought in from Airport, in the same day her co-offender was also detained upon leaving Armenia.

The preliminary investigation is in process, measures are being taken to detect other persons involved in the criminal scheme and to find out the recipients of the financial flows raised from drug trafficking.

Note: The suspect or accused of an alleged crime is considered innocent as long as his/her guilt is not proven in a manner prescribed by the Code of Criminal Procedure of RA - by the court decision entered into legal force.