As a result of large-scale operative-search activities and procedural actions carried out by the Department of Economic Security and Anti-Corruption and the Investigation Department of the RA National Security Service, it was established that a group of persons, for mercenary reasons, with the intention of organizing the illegal migration of one or more persons, entered into a preliminary conspiracy with the heads of various travel agencies operating in Yerevan, and other persons, and, having distributed the roles, organized for 25.000 US dollars per person the illegal departure of a number of the RA citizens to the United States of America through transit countries. For this purpose, they prepared false documents in the name of the departing persons on the availability of work, salary, other income, death of close relatives of the departing persons for submission to the competent bodies in order to obtain proper permission to enter the transit country and stay there. These documents were submitted to the competent bodies located in the RA and abroad.

During searches carried out during the preliminary investigation as part of criminal proceedings, in the apartments, cars of members of the criminal group engaged in organizing illegal migration, as well as in the offices of travel agencies, many forged documents, blank samples of document forms, notebooks with notes on amounts paid by several dozen citizens who received permission to illegally enter foreign countries, photographs of passports, entry visas of foreign countries, citizens who left the Republic of Armenia as a result of illegal migration, cell phones containing voice messages about the progress of organizing illegal migration were discovered and seized.

During the preliminary investigation, four of the members of the criminal group were detained on the basis of direct suspicion, and on the basis of factual data obtained during criminal proceedings, in relation to the latter by the supervising prosecutor for organizing illegal migration, as well as for the production and use of false documents, for complicity for the commission of these crimes, a decision was made to initiate public criminal prosecution under the relevant articles of the RA Criminal Code.

The preliminary investigation of the criminal proceedings continues, the necessary investigative actions and operative-search measures are being carried out to clarify all the circumstances of the case, the full scope of persons involved in the criminal scheme, and to apply criminal legal measures of influence against them.

Note: Anyone charged with a crime is considered innocent as long as his/her guilt is not proven in a manner prescribed by the Code of Criminal Procedure of RA - by the court decision entered into legal force.