Azerbaijani Border Guards Foil Major Drug Smuggling Attempt in Caspian Sea

Members of an organized smuggling group have been detained in the Caspian Sea while attempting to transport a large shipment of drugs into Azerbaijan.

The operation took place on September 4 near the coast of Azerbaijan’s Neftchala district, The Caspian Post reports via a joint statement by the Azerbaijani State Border Service and the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Border guards spotted a fast-moving vessel and ordered it to stop, firing warning shots. When the suspects attempted to flee, the boat’s engine was disabled. Two men on board then threw bundles of drugs into the sea and jumped overboard, but were rescued and subsequently detained.

Authorities seized 11.85 kilograms of narcotics from the suspects, identified as Iranian citizens 31-year-old Gulreza Javad Alireza and 29-year-old Bordbar Milad Mansour.

A criminal case has been opened under several articles of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code, and a thorough investigation is ongoing.