Azerbaijani police thwart drug smuggling PHOTO

Employees of the Masalli district police department have seized around 7 kg of drugs in the district’s Erkivan village.

The Lankaran regional group of the Interior Ministry's press service told Caliber.Az that during the operation, conducted by police near Erkivan village, a resident of the Jalilabad district, Fazalet Aliyev was detained.

During the inspection of the luggage compartment of his VAZ-2106 car, more than 2 kg 400 g of heroin and 4 kg 500 g of marijuana were found and seized.

It was established that the detainee received drugs from an Iranian citizen, whose identity is under investigation, and had to deliver the said batch to pre-arranged places in Baku.

With regard to Aliyev, a measure of restraint in the form of arrest was chosen.

Operational-investigative measures are underway.

The majority of drugs smuggled into Azerbaijan arrive in the country from Iran. Drug supply measures are mainly connected with the activities of law-enforcement agencies in the fight against the illicit trafficking of drugs.

According to Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's research, the following major drug trafficking routes that traverse the territory of Azerbaijan have been identified:

- Afghanistan - Iran - Azerbaijan - Europe;

- Afghanistan - Turkmenistan - Azerbaijan - Europe.