Border guards seize 2.3 kg of drugs, over 10 kg of contraband jewelry in southern region

By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

The State Border Service has seized some 2.3 kg of drugs and over 10 kg of contraband jewelry in the southern Yardimli region on the border with Iran, Azernews reports, citing the service.

A border guard serving in the Goytapa border detachment’s border post near Yardimli’s Deman village discovered traces of the state border violation from Iran to Azerbaijan at 2330 on May 28.

The area was blocked immediately, the border strip and cars were inspected, and the footprints of an unidentified individual were discovered.

Shukurov Elsevar (33), Yardimli’s Arvana village resident, working as a shepherd in Deman village and temporarily residing there, was detained as a suspect as a result of a complex border search and operation conducted jointly with the Yardimli district police.

During the investigation, Shukurov admitted that he illegally crossed the state border to smuggle drugs into the country at the request of Aliyev Rahab (39), a resident of Deman village.

During the inspection in his yard, 2.3 kilograms of marijuana and two bottles of liquid methadone in 130 ml containers, wrapped in black packages, were confiscated.

Currently, measures are being taken to detain and prosecute Aliyev.

In a similar vein, employees of the Goytapa border detachment prevented the smuggling of jewelry and tobacco goods from Iran into Azerbaijan, the service said in a separate report.

At around 0320 on June 1, two unknown individuals violated the state border from Iran to Azerbaijan in the service area of the border post near Yardimli’s Avash village.

One of the border trespassers - Avash resident Guliyev Mehman (36) was chased and captured in his yard as a result of border search and operational actions carried out in collaboration with the Interior Ministry.

During the investigation, Guliyev and his fellow Mayilov Rahim (32) confessed that they violated the state border in order to bring jewelry from Iran at the request of another villager, Agayev Nazim.

Over 10.7 kilograms of gold-like jewelry were discovered during the search in Guliyev's house, while another accessory to the crime - Mayilov, escaped the investigation. As a result of the search of Mayilov’s apartment some 7,050 boxes of Marlboro cigarettes smuggled from Iran were confiscated.

Agayev Nazim, who ordered the smuggled goods, was apprehended; steps are being conducted to find Mayilov, the report said. The State Border Service continues to take measures to ensure reliable protection of state borders and combat drug trafficking, the source adds.