Int'l drug smuggling gang seized in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan's National Security Ministry has detained a gang engaged in drug smuggling from Iran to Azerbaijan, the Ministry's press service told journalists on Tuesday. The group which was comprised of the citizens of Iran and Azerbaijan carried drugs to Azerbaijan in a bus. Driven by Iranian Noshahr Nasirzadeh, the bus contained four laminated plastics hiding 500 grams of heroin. The driver delivered drugs to Azeri Imran Guliyev near Lankaran City, near the country's southern border with Iran, but kept 27.7 grams of heroin under his belt. The security forces found 500 grams of heroin when examining laminated plastics. Nasirzadeh was also detained.The National Security Ministry has launched criminal investigation into the case. In the last few decades the number of reported drug smuggling cases has significantly increased in Azerbaijan.The country shares about 700-km border with Iran, one of the major drug producing countries with trafficking routes leading from Afghanistan. Iran is used by many criminal groups as a transit country for drug smuggling into Azerbaijan.Iran and Azerbaijan have been trying to work together to deal with the drug smuggling issue.