Measures to ensure the reliable protection of the maritime borders of the Republic of Azerbaijan and combat smuggling in the Caspian Sea are ongoing.

Axar.az reports that the information is provided by the Press Center of the State Border Service, at 01:37 on September 10, an unknown vessel moving north from the Islamic Republic of Iran was detected by the Coast Guard of the State Border Service in the southern part of the Caspian Sea.

In order to intercept the identified target, coastal control units were notified, and a border vessel was immediately sent to that direction. Urgent measures were taken to close the coastline, and an operation to pursue the target was initiated.

The border violator threw an unknown item from the vessel into the sea while attempting to flee, prompting warning shots from the border vessel.

As a result of the coordinated actions between the coastal control units and the border vessel, an Iranian citizen born in 1995, Behnam Bəndə Məhəmməd, was detained while attempting to illegally cross into the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan via a small vessel.

During the ongoing search operations, 2,098 boxes of “Manchester Nano Black” cigarettes, which the border violator had thrown into the sea, were recovered.

Operational and investigative measures regarding the incident are ongoing.