Azernews.Az

Divisions of the Coast Guard of the Border Service of the Kazakh National Security Committee conducted special tactical exercises in the Caspian Sea with live firing from on-board ship's weapons. The event was attended by five boundary ships, boats and about 300 personnel, Border Service spokesperson Oksana Papura told Trend.

"As part of the exercise, marine guards practiced manoeuvres for the protection of the state border such as taking action to destroy illegal armed groups and curb the activities of smugglers," Papura said.

She recalled that border sailors are entrusted with the tasks related to the protection of territorial waters, Kazakhstan's continental shelf and suppression of criminal activities in the area of responsibility.

Divisions and units of the Regional Directorate of the Kazakh Border Guard have participated in three joint operational and preventive measures this year, special border operations and command post exercises at Frontier-2013, Illegal-2013 and Boskyn 2013.

According to the press service, 556 offenders in all categories were detained in the first half of 2013. Among those are the violators of the state border, rules of residency as well as violators of territorial and internal waters of the Republic of Kazakhstan. At least 70 boats were detained with fishing gear seized running to a length of about 100-110 metres and fishnet to a length of over 127,000 metres.

Six incidences of smuggling were reported during the period including that of sturgeon weighing 11.650 kilogrammes, 59 gold items, diamond coated oil drilling equipment, drugs and guns with rubber bullets.