Iran sentences two Swedish nationals to prison terms on drugs charges

Iranian Judiciary Spokesman Masoud Setayeshi has said that Iran has sentenced two Swedish nationals to prison terms and flogging over drugs-related crimes.

The Iranian Revolutionary Court has sentenced Simon Casper Brown to five years in prison and a fine of around $33,700, amounting to 10 times the worth of the banned goods found on his person, and Stephen Kevin Gilbert to eight years in prison, 60 lashes, and fine of $500, Jahan News quoted Setayeshi as saying on August 30. 

The trial of two alleged members of an international drugs smuggling ring with contacts in Sweden started in September 2021, and the arrests were made around January 2020.

The sentencing comes as tensions run high between Stockholm and Tehran over the Swedish court's life imprisonment verdict for Hamid Nouri.

In July, Iran reported the arrest of another Swedish national over espionage charges.