Among the Accused in the 365 kg Heroin Case Is an Iranian; 3 out of 6 Arrested Have Been Released

Three of the six individuals arrested in connection with a large-scale drug case involving 365 kg of heroin found in one of the customs warehouses in Yerevan have been released. They were detained after being brought in by the State Revenue Committee (SRC) from the customs warehouse.

It has been reported that a particularly large batch of heroin, consisting of 33 boxes, was discovered among a consignment declared as a fermentation agent weighing 18,600 kg. “The market value of the heroin, weighing approximately 365 kilograms including the packaging, is about $45 million. This is the largest case discovered by law enforcement agencies in Armenia since 2014, unprecedented in the entire region,” the announcement states. The heroin was intended to be transported from the Islamic Republic of Iran through Armenia to Western Europe.

The particularly large quantities of drugs were supposed to be relocated to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Of the three released individuals, two are citizens of the Republic of Armenia, and one is a citizen of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Their lawyer, Masis Melkonyan, who did not want to disclose his clients' names, shared some details in an interview with “Haykakan Zhamanak.”

- Mr. Melkonyan, what are your clients accused of and what is their stance regarding the charges?

- They are accused of attempting to import a particularly large amount of drugs into the Republic of Armenia through smuggling facilitated by an organized group, and attempting to export it to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. They do not accept the charges against them and have provided objective testimonies. I filed a complaint against the investigator's decision on the arrest of our three clients, one of which was satisfied by the court, recognizing the arrest as unlawful, while two were released by the prosecuting body under the condition of not leaving the country.

- Were all three subjected to the same preventive measure?

- Yes.

- Can you elaborate on the involvement of your clients in the case?

- My clients own a limited liability company in Armenia which has signed a contract with an organization in Iran for the import and export of fermentation agents through Armenia to the Netherlands. They have no connection to the importation; we are simply dealing with unscrupulous partners. Essentially, the inspection was initiated by my clients.

- So, they requested the inspection of the goods?

- Yes, including verbally. Their request was that the cargo should be opened and inspected in the Republic of Armenia before being transported to another country, and according to the agreement, they also initiated the inspection in the warehouse, after which the drugs were discovered.

- You mentioned that there was a verbal agreement with the organization in Iran regarding the inspection of the cargo in Armenia; why would that organization import drugs instead of fermentation agents, knowing that the cargo would be inspected as per the agreement?

- I cannot speak on behalf of that organization, but I represent the interests of my clients, who insist that they requested the goods be inspected in Armenia. Let me note that if a citizen requests something, it is not enough for the authorities to open and inspect the cargo; there must be sufficient grounds for inspection. A citizen has stipulated with their partner organization that these goods must be checked, needing to confirm what is being imported and exported, as they can understandably suspect this was the first time such a deal was being made.

- I assume that the relevant authorities had suspicions, which is why the cargo was inspected, but my clients have also shown active initiative.

- Did they approach law enforcement?

- No, they did not formally approach, but when they were invited to the warehouse, they went, participated, and yes, they expressed their desire and did not object to the inspection of the cargo.

- Were your clients supposed to transport or send the cargo to the Netherlands?

- There were accompanying freight transport companies (the driver transporting the cargo from Iran to Armenia, as far as I know, has been arrested). After the paperwork is done, it was supposed to be sent to the Netherlands through the appropriate freight forwarding company. As sanctions against Iran are imposed, they cannot transport cargo to European countries from its territory; therefore, they seek partners in Armenia to document the cargo through local companies. This is merely declarative in nature. When the cargo is documented through a company registered in Armenia, it can be exported to any European country. This indicates that my clients had no intention of importing such a quantity of illegal drugs into Armenia.

- Mr. Melkonyan, do you know who the ordering party is, the organizer behind this operation?

- There is no factual information in the case, not even intel; it presents quite a challenge for the investigative body to clarify everything, but it is currently confirmed that my clients did not organize such a thing. There remain many questions that require answers, especially from the organization based in Iran, which the investigative body should pursue.

- Is there information about whether the organization in the Netherlands had a preliminary agreement regarding drugs with the organization in Iran?

- Naturally, the organization in the Netherlands would need to receive the cargo; whether they had an initial agreement or were aware that the cargo contained drugs, I cannot say. But it is a fact that the local LLC in Armenia is merely used in a declarative sense for paperwork and to avoid sanctions.

- Is the name of the organization in Iran known?

- I cannot disclose it, as it's a matter of investigative secrecy.

- Mr. Melkonyan, how did the drugs pass through the checkpoints and only get discovered at the Yerevan customs office?

- This is essentially within the law’s framework, as it is a transit cargo, naturally needing to undergo examination or inspection after unloading in the customs warehouse. Therefore, the relevant authorities likely noticed something suspicious at the border, moved it to the warehouse, where it was examined; I do not see anything extraordinary in this.

- How long has the cargo been in the warehouse? When was it moved to Armenia?

- I believe it was brought in about five days ago.