Belarusian customs officials stopped the smuggling of alcohol from Russia.

Photo by the State Customs Committee, June 13, Minsk . Gomel customs officers have established two cases of illegal transportation of over 500 liters of alcohol-containing liquid, the State Customs Committee told BelTA.

Two Belarusian citizens were reportedly importing unmarked alcohol from Russia, which could have ended up on the illegal alcohol market. Gomel customs officers, along with traffic police and special forces officers from the Dobrush District Department of Internal Affairs of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee, detained the offenders. A Mercedes truck and a Ford Focus were stopped for inspection on a section of the M10 highway during special operations aimed at protecting the domestic market from substandard products. Customs officers found plastic canisters containing alcohol of unknown quality in the trunk of the car. An attempt was made to conceal the alcohol in the truck behind a pile of plastic film and empty plastic containers.

An examination conducted by the State Forensic Expertise Committee for the Gomel Region confirmed that the illegally transported liquid contained at least 94% ethyl alcohol. The drivers of the vehicles were identified as two residents of Babruisk, born in 1975 and 1978. Gomel Customs has initiated administrative proceedings against them.