Huge batch of counterfeit alcohol confiscated in north of Chechnya

In the plain Shelkovskoy District of the Chechen Republic the police detained a truck carrying more than a thousand bottles of alcohol. A source from law enforcement bodies of Chechnya asserts that this is the largest of the recently detected batches of alcoholic beverages.

As reported by local law enforcers, on May 8 at the entrance to the village of Grebenskaya, Shelkovskoy District, traffic policemen and employees of the local ROVD (District Interior Division) stopped for check a GAZ truck driven by a 26-year-old local resident.

"In the course of inspection, more than a thousand bottles of alcoholic beverages were found in the truck. The driver had no accompanying documents for transportation of alcohol on him. The truck driver was summoned to appear at the ROVD," said a MIA employee.

In the opinion of the police, the confiscated products are counterfeit. Now, the check continues.

In 2009, by the order of the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov, a ban was introduced in the republic on sale of alcohol in the daytime. Specialized shops are allowed to sell strong beverages only in the morning for two hours per day.

Nevertheless, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent asserts, with reference to local residents, that to buy alcohol anytime in Chechnya is not difficult. Alcohol is sold "from under the counter" at numerous mini-markets in Grozny and other towns and cities; besides, sellers at specialized shops tend to sell vodka and wine outside the scheduled hours, said Magomed A., a resident of Grozny.