VIDEO: Attempt Made to Smuggle Large Quantities of Drugs into Armenia from Iran – NSS

A case of smuggling particularly large quantities of drugs from the Islamic Republic of Iran into the Republic of Armenia has been disclosed and prevented. This was reported by the press service of the National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia.

“It has been revealed that Armenian citizens H.Q. and A.Q., together with an unidentified citizen from the Islamic Republic of Iran, in a group, with mutual agreement, complementing each other's actions, were preparing to acquire drugs smuggled from the Islamic Republic of Iran from a hideout on the Yerevan-Yeghegnadzor interstate road for the purpose of selling them,” the NSS statement says.

It has also been established that on August 20 of this year, H.Q. and A.Q. had taken a batch of drugs from a special hideout on the Yerevan-Yeghegnadzor interstate road using a “Vaz 217230” vehicle operated by A.Q. and headed toward Yerevan. The drugs were smuggled into Armenia and the location of the hideout was disclosed by a citizen of the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose identity remains unknown.

The activities of the criminal group were halted after the vehicle was stopped by officers of the NSS near Artashat, resulting in the arrests of H.Q. and A.Q. The vehicle has been taken to the specially protected area of the Artashat division of the RA Police, where investigative actions revealed approximately half a kilogram of methamphetamine in packaged form.

Following the incident, a criminal case has been initiated by the Ararat regional investigative department of the RA Investigative Committee under Article 393, Part 3, Clause 2 of the RA Criminal Code (illegal circulation for the purpose of selling particularly large quantities of narcotics and psychotropic substances), Article 396, Part 3 (illegal circulation of particularly large quantities of narcotics and psychotropic substances without the intent to sell), and Article 399, Part 3, Clause 2 (smuggling particularly large quantities of narcotics and psychotropic substances). H.Q. and A.Q. are in custody.

It is noted that the pre-investigation is ongoing.