Employees of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan have revealed repeated attempts to smuggle various items in vehicles belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) through the Lachin checkpoint on the state border with Armenia.
On July 1-5, a total of 15 undeclared mobile phones hidden among hand luggage, numerous spare mobile phone parts, 973 packs of cigarettes and 1320 liters of gasoline were found and seized by the border patrol. All the facts of smuggling were documented.
"Although the ICRC was warned about this through official channels, the smuggling continued and no steps to prevent this were taken...A criminal case was initiated under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Until necessary investigative measures arec arried out, the crossing through the Lachin border checkpoint at the state border remains suspended," the statement reads.
The fact that ICRC employees were guilty of this crime exacerbates the situation, because smuggling in vehicles intended for medical evacuation is not only a gross violation of the laws of Azerbaijan, but also an abuse of the country's trust in the Red Cross.
