Azerbaijan, Baku, May 17 / Trend K.Zarbaliyeva /
As a result of the recent operational measures, 11 people involved in drug smuggling from Iran, have been exposed. Over 213 kilograms of drugs were seized from them, public relations center of the Azerbaijani Ministry of National Security (MNS) told Trend on Thursday.
As a result of operational measures carried out by the Azerbaijani MNS and the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia, an organised criminal group, engaged in drug smuggling en route Iran-Azerbaijan-Russia, was revealed. During the operational measures in Moscow three citizens of Russia were detained and 209 kilograms of hashish were found and seized from them. The Russian FSB opened a criminal case.
The MNS began criminal cases under Art. 206.3.2 (moving across the customs border of the Azerbaijan Republic of narcotic drugs, psychotropic, toxic, poisonous, radioactive, explosive substances and explosive devices, military weapons and equipment (except for smooth-bore hunting weapon and ammunition), firearms or ammunition, nuclear, chemical, biological and other weapons of mass destruction, materials and equipment that can be used to develop weapons of mass destruction and for which special rules are established for moving through customs border of the Azerbaijan Republic, a strategically important raw materials, items of cultural, historical or archaeological value, in respect of which the relevant rules of movement across the customs border of the Azerbaijan Republic are established, if the act is committed in addition to or with concealment from customs control or with fraudulent use of documents or customs identification, or is associated with non-declaration or false declaration by a group with prior agreement), 234.4.1 (illegal purchase or possession for sale, manufacture, production, processing, transportation, transfer or sale of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances by a group of persons by prior collusion or by an organised group) and 234.4.3 (manufacture, acquisition, storage, transfer, transportation or sale of precursors for the illicit manufacture and processing of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances in large amount) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.
These persons were involved as perpetrators, and arrested by a court decision as a preventive measure.
Operative investigative measures continue.