Azerbaijani border guards stopped two attempts to smuggle narcotics from Iran in one day, seizing more than 39 kilograms in total. One of the shipments was carried by drones, authorities said.
The State Border Service announced the operations, Vesti Baku reported.
Nearly 23 Kilograms Carried by Drones
Unmanned aircraft that entered Azerbaijani airspace illegally from Iran were detected and disabled in the service areas of the Horadiz and Goytepe border detachments.
Border guards recovered 22 kilograms and 900 grams of narcotics at the scenes: 15 kilograms and 400 grams in the Horadiz area and 7 kilograms and 500 grams in the Goytepe area.
Two Iranian Citizens Detained
In a separate operation in the Horadiz area, border guards observed two people moving from Iran toward Azerbaijan. The area was sealed off and the two were detained.
The State Border Service said the detainees were Iranian citizens and were carrying 16 kilograms and 128 grams of narcotics.
The combined weight seized in the two cases was 39 kilograms and 28 grams. Authorities did not specify the type of narcotics or what would happen to the intercepted drones after they delivered the cargo. Investigations are continuing.
Source: Vesti Baku; State Border Service drone statement; State Border Service detention statement.