Border guards seize over 79.3 kg of drugs, detain 38 border trespassers in June

By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

The Azerbaijani State Border Service seized over 79.3 kg of drugs and some 9,162 psychotropic pills in June, Azernews reports, citing the service.

The State Border Service maintained its efforts to ensure reliable border protection and combat smuggling, illegal migration, and drug trafficking.

Over 15.4 tons (14,508 pieces) of wild hemp were burned and destroyed with the participation of representatives of relevant institutions, the report added.

During the reporting period, 38 people were detained for illegally crossing the state border, 18 of them were citizens of Azerbaijan, five Iranians, two Indians, one Uzbek, six Moroccans, two Pakistanis, a Kazakh, and three Afghans.

In an effort to combat illegal migration, 18 people were detained after attempting to cross the state border with forged passports of the EU member states, permanent residence cards, ID cards, and Schengen visas.

Some 646 people were detained for violating the rules of the border regime and appropriate measures were taken against them.

As a result of anti-crime measures, 216 people wanted by the law-enforcement agencies were detained and handed over to the relevant authorities. Some 478 people who were barred from leaving Azerbaijan were unable to leave, and 19 people, who were previously barred from entering the country, were denied entry.

Anti-smuggling measures resulted in the seizure of contraband, including tobacco products, gold jewelry, cosmetics, and alcoholic beverages worth approximately AZN 591,274 ($347,808).

Measures are being taken to organize reliable protection of the state borders, the report concluded.