As a result of a special operation conducted jointly by the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the State Border Service (SBS) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, more than 13 kilograms of narcotics and 4,400 narcotic pills smuggled into Azerbaijan via the Caspian Sea were prevented from being released into illegal circulation.

Axar.az reports that the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has issued a statement on the matter.

As a result of an operation carried out by the police and border guards in the Sumgayit area, Iranian nationals, 32-year-old Gaffar Gizil and 34-year-old Behzat Garanejat, were detained along the Caspian Sea coast.

The operation uncovered 11.68 kg of marijuana, 1.51 kg of heroin, and 4,400 methadone pills, which contained psychotropic substances, on a private "Yamaha" boat, equipped with an engine and operated by the detainees. The detainees stated that they had smuggled the narcotics, which they had obtained from Iran's Gumushan province, into Azerbaijan using the neutral zone on the Caspian Sea’s Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan border, with the aim of making a financial profit. It was also determined that, in addition to their fishing activities, Gaffar Gizil and Behzat Garanejat were key figures who regularly brought narcotics into the country through smuggling.

Operations are ongoing by police officers to identify and detain other members of the organized group attempting to smuggle narcotics into the country.