About 50 kg of drugs seized on Azerbaijan-Iran border
The State Border Service has prevented about 50 kg of drugs and 3,000 psychotropic pills from being smuggled into Azerbaijan from Iran, the service reported on its website on April 28.
At about 1735 on April 25, border guards observed two unidentified individuals violating the state border from Iran to Azerbaijan in the service area of the Goytapa border detachment near Yardimli region's Avash village.
The trespassers ignored the border guard's order and fled, leaving their packages on the ground and taking advantage of the area's difficult terrain and dense vegetation.
As a result of border searches and operational measures in the area, 32.9 kg of drugs (30.9 kg of marijuana, 2.1 kg of opium) and 3,000 psychotropic substances - methadone-40 - were seized from five blue packages.
Border guards spotted someone approaching an unoccupied semi-structure in the area known as "Feijoa Gardens" and taking a package at around 0050 on April 27 in the service area of Lankaran border detachment's border post near Astara's Alasha village.
During the package inspection, over 16.6 kg of drugs (12.3 kg of heroin, 3.5 kg of opium, 725 grams of methamphetamine, and 505 grams of marijuana) were seized from Astara resident Yusifov Nazim (32).
The incidents are being investigated.
Border patrol and search operations are underway to ensure the state's border is secure and to combat drug trafficking and psychotropic substances.
As Iran borders both Afghanistan and Azerbaijan, drugs are traditionally smuggled in from Afghanistan into Iran and then into Azerbaijan. Given Azerbaijan's geographical location, drug traffickers attempt to smuggle drugs into European countries along the Balkan route via the country.
After the restoration of its territorial integrity, Azerbaijan is taking steps to ensure the safety and restoration of order in the liberated lands. One of these measures is to halt the flow of drugs in the region that was previously controlled by Armenia's illegal regime in Karabakh.
Armenia used Karabakh and the surrounding seven regions for illegal activities such as arms and drug trafficking during its 30-year occupation of Azerbaijani territories. Despite the fact that Azerbaijan repeatedly raised the issue with international organizations, Armenia continued in the same vein, creating all of the necessary conditions for the illegal cultivation, production, and distribution of narcotic substances.
Azerbaijan closed the drug trafficking route from Iran to Armenia and then to Europe that used to pass through Jabrayil region.
After Azerbaijan regained control of the 130-km section of the state border with Iran, which had been under Armenian control for 30 years, the country closed the drug trafficking route from Iran to Armenia and then to Europe.
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