Epress.am News from Armenia
Officers of Armenia's National Security Service (NSS) have uncovered an organized criminal group in Yerevan which “intended to carry out numerous serious crimes on the territory of Armenia,” reads an NSS official statement.
Upon returning from abroad in 2015, according to law enforcement authorities, former Yerevan resident Arthur Vardanyan “created and headed a criminal association.” By prior arrangement, the organized group illegally acquired a large quantity of ammunition and weapons, including various types of rifles, pistols, grenades, and other explosives, which was hidden in a rented house in Yerevan's Nork Marash district.
Arthur Vardanyan, as well as nine other members of the group who were at the house at the moment of the search were arrested, NSS stated, adding that a criminal case has been initiated pursuant to parts 1 and 2 of Article 223 (creation of and participation in a criminal association), and part 3 of Article 235 (illegal procurement, transportation or carrying of weapons, ammunition, explosives or explosive devices) of the Armenian Criminal Code.