YEREVAN— Four people have been detained in the case regarding the illegal import of Azerbaijani apples to Armenia,  announced the Special Investigation Service (SIS) of Armenia on Wednesday.

Investigation revealed that two Yerevan residents— with the support of two Tavush province residents—imported and sold agricultural products in large quantities, including apples from Azerbaijan in Yerevan markets. The products were not declared at the Georgian Bagratashen border or registered with tax authorities.

“The investigation into the case launched under Article 1(205) of the Criminal Code of Armenia revealed that a group of Armenian citizen imported consignments of agricultural goods, including Azerbaijani apples from Georgia,” the SIS said.

It was revealed that the suspects from Yerevan were importing products from January-April 2017, failing to pay 7,341,312 AMD in taxes and duties as required by law. Furthermore, the suspects illegally sold imported goods to the Malatia market without paying the turnover tax of 907,680 AMD.

The suspects from Tavush imported 50 kg of products allowed by law and transferred them to the head organizers. All in all, over 8 million AMD harm was inflicted on the state.

The Yerevan suspects have been charged under Article 188 and Article 205(1) while the Tavush suspects were charged under Articles 38-188 and Article 205 (1) of the Criminal Code.