The accused sent each other video recordings depicting the production, as well as information about how many bottles were produced and how much time it would take to produce a certain quantity of untaxed alcoholic beverages, stated prosecutor Giorgi Javrashvili after the court hearing in the case of seven individuals detained on charges of illegal alcohol production.

According to him, the investigation has not yet established whether the alcoholic beverages were sold.

“The court fully upheld the prosecution’s position that there was a risk of the accused destroying evidence, committing new crimes, and absconding, and thus the strictest preventive measure—imprisonment—was applied. The defense argued that the evidence presented by the prosecution did not confirm the crime committed by the accused.

There was correspondence between Boris Gogichaishvili and Giorgi Kandelaki directly related to the crime they committed, namely the production of untaxed alcoholic beverages. The accused sent each other video recordings depicting the production, as well as information about how many bottles were produced and how much time it would take to produce a certain quantity of untaxed alcoholic beverages.

An investigation regarding the sale is ongoing, and if it is confirmed that they were involved in sales, the charges will be refined.

Following investigative actions, all material evidence related to the crime, as deemed by the prosecution and investigative authorities, was seized. All material evidence has been transferred to the investigative authorities, and some of it was sealed on-site,” stated Giorgi Javrashvili.

For reference, the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance seized 75,137 bottles of alcoholic beverages and 318,000 packs of untaxed cigarettes, in connection with which seven individuals, including Giorgi Kandelaki, were detained. They were charged under Articles 200 (parts 3 and 4) of the Criminal Code (production and storage of excisable goods subject to mandatory marking without an excise stamp by an organized group in particularly large quantities) and Article 196 (part 3) (production of goods illegally marked with another’s trademark or registered trade name in large quantities), which carry penalties of seven to ten years of imprisonment.

According to the investigation, since 2022, the accused, with the intent of illegally obtaining financial benefits, formed an organized criminal group.

They had set up infrastructure and full technical equipment for committing the crime on a leased plot of land in the city of Gori, where they systematically produced and stored alcoholic beverages—whiskey and vodka—subject to mandatory excise marking without excise stamps, for the purpose of their subsequent sale.

The detained individuals are: Giorgi Kandelaki, Boris Gogichaishvili, Tengiz Gulordava, Aleko Kurtanidze, Kartlos Jalabadze, Giorgi Bibilashvili, and Giorgi Kavtaradze.