Following recent investigative efforts, officers from the Investigation Service of the Georgian Ministry of Finance have apprehended three individuals in connection with an organised scheme to circumvent customs regulations by clandestinely disposing of a substantial quantity of oil at the Georgian border. The Investigation Service has provided details of the operation.

All three suspects were detained on December 3. The investigation revealed that the Batumi Oil Terminal LLC management illicitly disposed of over 10,000 tonnes of undeclared crude oil, valued at more than 15 million GEL, by storing it in the terminal’s reservoirs while deliberately bypassing customs procedures and concealing the activity.

To conceal the scale of their illicit dealings, the accused deliberately introduced unusable, contaminated oil waste into the tanks at the customs terminal, disguising the true volume of high-quality petroleum products involved.
Ongoing investigative actions aim to identify additional members of the criminal organisation, assess the total financial damage inflicted on the state, and uncover further instances of smuggled oil disposal.

The case is being prosecuted under Parts 2 and 6 of Article 214 of the Georgian Criminal Code, which stipulate imprisonment for between 11 and 15 years, the Investigation Service stated.