Azernews.Az

Ulviyya Poladova

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Azerbaijan's State Border Service detained 20 individuals for illegally crossing the state border during May 2026,
AzerNEWS reports.

According to an official statement released by the agency, the detainees included seven Iranian citizens, three Azerbaijani citizens, two Moroccan citizens, two Nigerian citizens, two Algerian citizens, and one citizen each from Afghanistan, Türkiye, India, and Pakistan.

As part of efforts to combat illegal migration, nine individuals were arrested while attempting to cross the state border using forged date stamps, falsified passports, or documents belonging to other persons.

In addition, 211 people were detained for violating border regime regulations, with appropriate legal measures taken against them.

As a result of anti-crime operations, 316 individuals wanted by law enforcement agencies were apprehended and handed over to the relevant authorities. Border guards also prevented 831 individuals who were subject to travel restrictions from leaving the country and stopped eight people banned from entry from entering Azerbaijan.

The agency said that anti-narcotics operations led to the seizure of 319 kilograms and 182 grams of illegal drugs, as well as 7,338 tablets containing various controlled substances.

The statement also noted that border guards used firearms against one border violator who failed to comply with lawful orders. The individual was provided with first aid and transported to a specialized medical facility but later died despite efforts by doctors to save his life.

Efforts to combat smuggling resulted in the confiscation of contraband goods worth a total of 5.61 million manats. The seized items included U.S. currency, alcoholic beverages, pharmaceuticals, and tobacco products. In one case, authorities prevented an attempt to smuggle narcotics into the country using an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone).

The State Border Service emphasized that measures aimed at ensuring the reliable protection of Azerbaijan's state borders are ongoing.