MOSCOW, October 11 (RAPSI) - The Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) will study a bill toughening punishment for counterfeiting alcohol, RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday citing the watchdog’s head Anna Popova.

As previously reported, Russian senators have drafted an initiative aimed to liquidate shadow alcohol market. The bill offers to introduce penalties for illegal manufacture and distribution of “gray” alcohol and using forged excise labels.

Amendments are proposed to Russia’s Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes.

Under the bill, fines for production and distribution of unlicensed alcohol and punishment for individuals for selling such products would be tightened. Fabrication and use of fictitious tax stamps would be equated with money counterfeiting and punished with fines of up to 6 million rubles ($96,000) or imprisonment of up to 7 years.