Counterfeit cognac exported to Russia by train

A man from Ialoveni and another one from Chisinau are investigated for putting forged excise stamps on bottles of cognac that were exported to Russia. They also face imprisonment terms if it is established that the alcoholic drinks were counterfeit, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the website of the Ministry of the Interior, the bottles were loaded onto cars of the train running on the Chisinau-Moscow route at the stations in Straseni and Calarasi. The police determined that the excise stamps were forged in a garage in Chisinau’s Ciocana district, which belonged to one of the suspects. Officers of the Fraud Investigation Division seized more than 700 bottles of cognac weighing 500 grams, which had forged excise stamps on them. There were also seized plastic vessels with liquid that allegedly was ethyl alcohol, bags with white and brown powder, almost 1 000 labels with different trademarks of cognac and equipment for packing counterfeit alcoholic drinks. If the court finds them guilty of forging excise stamps, the men will serve up to five years in prison, will be fined up to 12 000 lei, or will do community service. For counterfeiting alcoholic beverages, the private individuals are punished with one to five years in jail or a fine of 20 000 to 40 000 lei.