Friday, December 5, 2025

smuggling cigarettes

Defendant denies involvement in Georgia alcohol smuggling case

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TBILISI, September 18 – A defendant in Georgia’s high-profile illegal alcohol case has rejected the charges, with his lawyer insisting he has no connection to the factory or property at the center of the investigation. The attorney told Interpressnews that the allegations are based on “incorrect information” and that his client runs a legitimate business … Read more

Georgia busts bootleg alcohol and cigarette ring

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TBILISI, September 17 – Seven people have been arrested in Georgia after investigators uncovered an underground factory churning out counterfeit booze and untaxed cigarettes, authorities said. The Finance Ministry’s investigative service announced that officers seized a staggering 75,137 bottles of alcohol and 318,000 packs of contraband cigarettes in the raid. Officials said the haul’s black-market … Read more

Georgian government allows cigarette smuggling from Abkhazia, Gali residents say

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GALI, DFWatch–The Georgian government has unofficially given Gali residents a green light for smuggling cigarettes, likely as part of the election campaign, according to locals DFWatch spoke to. They have received explicit messages from Georgian law enforcers, they said. “Everybody knows each other here, almost all law enforcement knows who smuggle cigarettes. For the past … Read more

Illegal trade on rise due to dire economic situation, Gali residents say

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GALI, DFWatch – The loss of sources of income related to the spread of deadly brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), which has devastated locals’ orchards, urges residents of Gali to return to illegal business of smuggling goods, particularly cigarettes, from the breakaway Abkhazia to Georgia proper.

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