State Border Service foils drug-smuggling on Iran border

By Azernews

By Vafa Ismayilova

The State Border Service has prevented 18 kg of drugs from being smuggled from Iran into Azerbaijan, the service reported on its website on May 17.

As a result of the operations carried out by border guards of the Goytepe and Horadiz border detachments, five people were detained on charges of smuggling 18.35 kg of drugs and 19,754 units of psychotropic substances, the report added. 

Currently, activities are being carried out to search for and identify other suspects.

It should be noted that two Azerbaijani border guards were killed in a shoot-out on the country's state border with Iran on May 15.

At about 16:00 on May 15, three unknown persons violated Azerbaijan's state border in the Goytepe border guard service zone of the State Border Service's border troops near Yardimli region's Gendere village. 

About 10 kg of narcotic substances were found at the scene.

The Horadiz border detachment operates on the border with Iran on the territory of Azerbaijan's liberated Fuzuli region.

After liberating its lands from Armenia's occupation in a 44-day war with Armenia in 2020, Azerbaijan restored control over the 132-km section of the Azerbaijan-Iran border.