A significant drug bust was recently carried out by officers from the Astara Customs Department of the State Customs Committee, who uncovered a large quantity of narcotics being smuggled in an unusual manner – hidden inside watermelons, Azernews reports.

The State Customs Committee has confirmed the operation, revealing the details of the discovery.

The incident occurred when a transport vehicle, carrying a shipment of "fresh watermelons" from Iran to Russia via Azerbaijan, underwent a customs inspection at the Astara Customs Department. During the routine check, a stationary X-ray scanner flagged suspicious lines within the cargo.

Upon further examination, a trained sniffer dog reacted to 42 boxes, which upon inspection revealed 84 watermelons. Inside these watermelons were wrapped packages containing a total of 63 kilograms and 417 grams of narcotics, specifically dried marijuana, hidden cleverly to evade detection. The marijuana was concealed in a way that it was sealed within the melons, complete with packaging to avoid suspicion.

An investigation into the matter is currently underway.