Armenians grow and produce drugs in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh

"Statements by the Armenian Sociological Center that drugs are imported to Armenia from Central Asia and Azerbaijan are simply nonsense. Everyone knows that Armenians grow and produce drugs in Azerbaijan’s occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region,” Deputy Chief of Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry’s Drug Combat Department Col. Adil Alakbarov said commenting on a recent statement by the President of the Armenian Sociometer centre Aharon Adibekyan that "drugs are imported to Armenia from Central Asia and Azerbaijan."

"Armenians grow and produce drugs in Nagorno-Karabakh. From there, drugs are brought to Iran, onwards to Azerbaijan and other countries. Azerbaijan’s law enforcement bodies have already reported that an Iranian national they have detained, admitted that he grew drugs in Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenians have once again come up with false information,” Alakbarov said.

“Have the Armenian police ever detained Azerbaijani citizens with drugs? This is absurd. Today there are 113 trafficking routes from Afghanistan, 37 of them are in our country. It is possible that the drugs get through Azerbaijan, for example, to Ukraine or Georgia, and from there to Armenia. But it is just stupid to say that the drugs are imported to Armenia directly from Azerbaijan and that they are produced in Azerbaijan.”

"Power" drugs are not produced in Azerbaijan at all. Only some “light” drugs like marijuana is produced. Cocaine and heroin are imported from abroad, for example, from Iran. Over the past several years Azerbaijan has voiced alarm that the Armenians are engaged in cultivation and drug production in the occupied territories. Azerbaijan does have drug addiction problem and there is a strong fight against it. However, drug trafficking from Azerbaijan to Armenia is just nonsense. I have heard nothing more stupid than this," Head of the NGO Development of Civil Society and Understanding Ahmad Abbasbayli said.

According to police, about 80-85% of drugs are smuggled to Azerbaijan from the country’s southern borders, Head of the State Commission for Combating Drug Trafficking and Drug Addiction Araz Aliguliyev  said.

"These are basically "power" drugs. We have evidence that the drugs are grown in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. We have repeatedly urged the international commission to conduct monitoring in those areas, but the Armenian side has adamantly opposed it. As a result, some of these drugs is trafficked to Azerbaijan through Iran. On the other hand, drugs are smuggled to Russia and Europe through Karabakh. Afghanistan-Iran-Karabakh-Armenia-Turkey-Russia is one of the drug trafficking routes. These are basically "heavy" drugs like opium. Drugs are not transported to Armenia from Azerbaijan. Law enforcement agencies of neighboring countries do not have such a data. Can the drug trafficking take place across the line of contact between the Azerbaijani and Armenian armies?” Aliguliyev said.


/Vesti.az/