A sailor carrying narcotics has been detained in Baku.
Sea-news.az reports with reference to Lent.az that 43-year-old Bayram Ismailov (pseudonym) is accused of smuggling. According to reports, he served as an official aboard the vessel “Mirvari,” which operated under the Russian flag. The illicit substances were discovered on his person while he was traveling aboard the vessel from Baku to Turkmenistan.
The incident occurred at the “International Sea Trade Port” customs post. Bayram Ismailov initially claimed that he was not carrying any illegal substances. However, at around two o’clock in the morning, a sniffer dog unexpectedly reacted during an inspection inside one of the cabins of the vessel as it prepared to depart for Turkmenistan. Consequently, 0.169 grams of marijuana were discovered in B. Ismailov’s trousers pocket.
Bayram Ismailov was detained, and a criminal case was opened against him under Article 206.2 of the Criminal Code (for moving narcotics across the customs border of the Republic of Azerbaijan by concealing them from customs control).
In his testimony, the defendant stated that he repented for his actions. According to him, upon leaving a market in the Alat settlement, he approached one of two men who were talking about drugs, asked for marijuana for personal use, and agreed to pay 15 manats: “Following that person’s instructions, I retrieved a ‘Keno’ cigarette pack hidden by the roadside and left the money in its place. Aboard the ship, I smoked half of the bundle and kept the remaining portion inside the pack in my left trousers pocket. On May 17, at around two o’clock in the morning, during a customs inspection aboard the ‘Mirvari’ as it prepared to sail to Turkmenistan, the service dog reacted in room R. When customs officers asked if I had any prohibited items, I initially said no, but during a personal search conducted with video recording, a substance resembling marijuana was found in the ‘Keno’ pack. I admitted that the substance belonged to me and that I was holding it for personal use.”
In response to questions during the court hearing, the accused indicated that he had smoked half of the substance on the vessel and kept the rest for consumption during the journey or in Turkmenistan, adding that he had no intention of selling or transferring it to anyone else. He expressed remorse for his actions.
By court ruling, Bayram Ismailov was sentenced to three years and six months of imprisonment with a probation period of three years. He was placed under an obligation not to change his place of residence during the conditional sentence without notifying the probation department.
