Azerbaijan's border guards thwart large-scale drug smuggling operation from Iran

The State Border Service (SBS) of Azerbaijan has announced the detention of individuals involved in smuggling a large consignment of narcotics from Iran into Azerbaijan.

According to the SBS statement, on April 26, border guards from the "Lankaran" detachment spotted seven unidentified individuals attempting to illegally cross the state border from the Islamic Republic of Iran into the Republic of Azerbaijan, Caliber.Az reports, citing the SBS statement.

The border outpost was immediately placed on high alert, and the service area was fully secured. Border guards ordered the intruders to stop, fired warning shots into the air, and pursued them. However, the individuals ignored the commands, offered armed resistance, and opened fire on the patrol.

In accordance with the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On the State Border," the border guards used firearms. As a result, one intruder was neutralized at the scene, while three others fled back toward Iran.

Subsequent border search and operational measures, conducted jointly with officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, led to the detention of three suspects: Rajab Muhammad oghlu Ibrahimov (born 1998), Isa Magomedovich Isaev (born 1990), and Kamran Kamaldin oghlu Uzunov (born 1982), all residents of the Balakan district.

During a search of the area, authorities discovered and seized three packages containing a total of 51 kilograms and 884 grams of a substance resembling narcotics, along with a large quantity of psychotropic pills.

By Khagan Isayev