Smuggling Archives - Iran News Daily

Mexican Drug Lord ‘Chapo’ Guzman Appeals His Sentence

reporter 1222 — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 06:39:26 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Convicted Mexican drug lord Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman appealed against his life sentence handed down a year ago by a US court for trafficking hundreds of tons of narcotics into the country.

“El Chapo,” as he is commonly known, is kept in isolation, incarcerated one of the United States’ highest security prisons, located in Colorado’s mountainous desert, AFP reported.

“Chapo Guzman’s prosecution was marred by rampant excess and overreach, both governmental and judicial,” his lawyer Marc Fernich wrote in the appeal, presented late Friday to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York.

The 62-year-old former leader of Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa drug cartel, was convicted last year of crimes spanning a quarter of a century, including trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and marijuana.

A lawyer for Guzman, Mariel Colon Miro, told AFP the initial ruling should be annulled because one of the jurors told Vice News he and others found information about the case via the media and social networks during the trial, which is prohibited.

She added that the complete isolation imposed on Guzman since his extradition to the US in January 2017 prevented him from collaborating on his defense both before and after the trial.

“We are very optimistic that something positive will come of this,” Miro said, adding she hoped a new trial would be held.

During Guzman’s reign, his cartel’s empire expanded across the globe, its tentacles stretching from the Americas to Europe and Asia.

He managed to break out of prison twice. The second time, in 2015, via a one-mile (1.5 kilometer) tunnel that opened in his cell’s shower. He zoomed out by hopping on a modified motorcycle mounted on rails.

Mexican marines captured Guzman six months later in January 2016 and he was extradited to the United States a year later, ending his decades-long cat-and-mouse game with the authorities.

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Iran Intelligence Dismantles Big Ammunition Smuggling Band

reporter 1222 — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 12:31:18 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran’s Intelligence forces have identified and dismantled a big arms and ammunition smuggling band in Alborz Province.

According to the Iranian intelligence ministry on Wednesday, through extensive operations carried out by the Intelligence Ministry forces in Alborz Province, the members of a big arms and ammunition smuggling gang were identified and arrested.

This gang has been active in Alborz, Tehran, Kermanshah, Lorestan, Isfahan, Sistan and Baluchestan, West Azerbaijan, and Kerman provinces.

According to the confessions and documents, the members of the gang smuggled weapons and ammunition, illicit drugs and alcohol, currency, coins, gold, and antiques.

More than 20 key members of the gang were arrested in coordination with the judiciary, and a significant number of weapons, ammunition, hunting, munition, and vehicles were seized.

The gang members abused the correspondence and titles of individuals in the Ministry of Intelligence, government agencies, the judiciary, and the military, forging the documents.

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Afghanistan Mulls Cooperation with Iran on Border Safety

reporter 1222 — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 12:04:34 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The presidential palace of Afghanistan played host to a meeting to weigh plans for closer cooperation with Iran in ensuring security along the common border and combatting smugglers and traffickers.

The meeting on border safety with Iran cooperation, chaired by Vice President of Afghanistan Amrullah Saleh, was held at the Arg, the presidential palace in Kabul.

It was attended by the caretaker of the Foreign Ministry of Afghanistan Hanif Atmar, Chief of General Staff of the Afghan Armed Forces Lieutenant General Bismillah Waziri, Deputy Afghan Interior Minister Abdul Saboor Qanay, and Deputy of National Directorate of Security of Afghanistan Abdullah Ebad.

According to a statement from the presidential palace, participants in the meeting discussed ways to promote cooperation with Iran to ensure the common border’s security, fight against the smugglers and traffickers, and promote collaboration between the border guards of the two neighbors.

Based on a decision made at the meeting, one of the topics that Hanif Atmar is going to discuss with the Iranian officials during his upcoming visit to Tehran will be the revision of an agreement on the border forces that the two countries have signed more than six decades ago.

The caretaker of the Afghan Foreign Ministry is also scheduled to hold talks with Iran about the human trafficking victims arrested along the common border.

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IRICA seizes large cargo of smuggled cigarettes

reporter 1222 — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 11:02:35 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) confiscated a large cargo of smuggled cigarettes.

This large smuggled cargo of cigarettes was confiscated by the Monitoring Group of the Office to Oversee Customs Transit in cooperation with Sarakhs and Shahid Rajaei customs offices that belongs to IRICA.

This transit cargo included 1,800 tons of smuggled cigarettes and was confiscated in line with enforcing Clause “B” of Article 133 of Customs Affairs Law.

Since the US re-imposition of sanctions against Iran’s economy, the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) has been taking various measures to facilitate the customs process both for exports and imports of the commodities to reduce the effect of sanctions.

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Drugs seized in Yazd as much as 1.2 tons

reporter 1222 — Sun, 12 Jan 2020 08:44:48 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran’s anti-narcotics police forces have seized 1,270 kilograms of illicit drugs in a single operation in the central province of Yazd, a provincial police commander announced on Sunday.

Second Brigadier General Mohammadreza Mir-Heidari said that following comprehensive intelligence activities, the police forces traced the haul of the illicit drugs in a sedan, which was destined for the northern parts of Iran and seized the convoy in Yazd.

According to him, the consignment included 850 kilograms of opium and 430 kilograms of morphine.

The offender was also captured during the operation, he added.

The police chief noted that the illegal load had entered Yazd from the southeastern parts of the country, which borders Afghanistan.

A total of 27,000 kilograms of different drugs have been captured in the province since the beginning of the current Iranian year (started in March 2019).

The Islamic Republic has been actively fighting drug trades originating from Afghanistan in the past four decades, despite its high economic and human costs. The country has spent more than hundreds of millions of dollars on sealing its borders and preventing the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.

The war on drug trade has also claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 Iranian police officers over the past four decades.

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Tons of Illicit Drugs Seized at Borders

reporter 1222 — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 10:58:05 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Commander of Iran’s Border Police Brigadier General Qassem Rezaei said his forces have managed to capture more than 62 tons of illicit drugs over the past eight months.

“In addition to ensuring order and security through carrying out purposeful activities and operations in the fight against trafficking, the zealous border guards have managed to seize more than 62 tons of illicit drugs along the country’s borders,” Brigadier General Rezaei told reporters in the southern port city of Bushehr on Tuesday.

He further emphasized that the seizures, which have occurred over the past 8 months, show a 59-percent increase compared to the same period last year.

The commander also highlighted the close cooperation between Iran’s Border Police with its counterparts in neighboring countries and said interactions with the neighbors and agreements with the UAE, Qatar, and Oman, have helped the Border Police’s fight against trafficking and led to the seizures of wanted vessels.

Iran, which has a 900-kilometer common border with Afghanistan, has been used as the main conduit for smuggling Afghan drugs to narcotics kingpins in Europe.

Despite high economic and human costs, the Islamic Republic has been actively fighting drug-trafficking over the past decades.

The country has spent more than $700 million on sealing its borders and preventing the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.

The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 Iranian police officers over the past four decades.

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Free Zones Have Turned Into Hubs for Smuggling Goods

reporter 1222 — Mon, 11 Nov 2019 18:12:13 +0000

Free Zones Have Turned Into Hubs for Smuggling Goods

IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – Attorney-General Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Jafar Montazeri criticized the current condition of free trade zones and said the zones have turned into hubs for smuggling goods.

In a TV program, Montazeri said that the judiciary has banned handover of commercial card to other parties and warned Registration Offices that if they do not abide by the law, they will be charged with accomplice.

He said some people hire those cards and take advantage of them in order to evade paying tax.

Mr. Montazeri added that Chamber of Commerce should revise its regulations for issuing commercial cards.

He added that commercial cards were some factor behind smuggling and it should be dealt strongly.

He noted that smuggling has negative impact on the occupation and boom in production, adding that corruption has many dimensions.

He went on to say that free trade zone is aimed at pick-up in exports in the zone but now everything has gone in the opposite direction and they have turned into hubs for pick-up in imports. He urged officials of the zones to abide by law and to have supervision over activities and contraband goods.

He also noted that fighting with smuggling goods and forex is not duty of a certain branch of the system and all bodies should enter the scene and to combat with smuggling seriously, admitting that he does not see this determination seriously in some places.

On the charges against former governor of Central Bank of Iran Valiollah Seif, the attorney general said that the case is under probe and he is currently unable to leave the country.

On tax evasion of lawyers and doctors, he said health ministry should pursue the issue and it should find legal framework to tackle the issue in collaboration with finance ministry.

He also reiterated that the judiciary is determined to fight corruption and it has started this fight from itself and it has dismissed some judges.

Montazeri added that recent measures of the judiciary for fighting economic corruption have been warmly welcomed by the public.

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IRGC seizes fuel smuggling ship in Persian Gulf

reporter 1222 — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 05:30:12 +0000

According to the IRGC news service ‘Sepahnews’, the vessel was detained in the IRGC Navy’s 5th region in the Persian Gulf area while it was carrying 250,000 liters of diesel fuel illegally.

The crew of the smuggling fuel ship, which was confiscated 20 miles off the Iranian Greater Tunb island in the Persian Gulf, have been handed over to the judicial authorities to undergo legal proceedings.

The report added that the smugglers said during the interrogation that they had loaded the cargo at the Sang Salameh region and they were carrying it to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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Police confiscate 203kg drugs in Yazd

reporter 1222 — Sun, 08 Sep 2019 10:11:47 +0000

The commander of Yazd province’s anti-narcotics police Colonol Ali Afkhami said on Sunday that the police forces identified and seized 203 kg of illicit drugs in three operations in Yazd which was destined to Tehran.

123kg opium and 80kg of hashish were confiscated and three smugglers were arrested and has been handed over to the judicial officials, he added.

Over 10 tons of illegal drugs have been confiscated by the law-enforcement forces in Yazd province since the start of the year 1398 (March 21, 2019).

Yazd roads have an important role in connecting the southern and eastern provinces of Iran with the center of the country and it is being exploited to transport narcotics and drugs due to its location.

Located near Afghanistan which is one of the main sources of opium production in the world, Iran is on the frontline of the fight against drug trafficking. Iran has lost many forces during this fight. Tehran has always asked for international help in such operations, noting that the other countries, especially European states, should take responsibility and play a positive role in this fight or face its threats themselves. The country has spent more than hundreds of millions of dollars on sealing its borders and preventing the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.

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Foreign fuel smuggling band dismantled in S Iran

reporter 1222 — Sat, 07 Sep 2019 08:51:15 +0000

The Maritime Commander of Hormozgan province Hossein Dahaki said on Sat. that through extensive operations carried out by the maritime guards, a foreign fuel trafficking band that carried fuel to neighboring countries by vessels is dismantled in Sirik County, Hormozgan.

A tugboat and 283,900 liter diesel fuel have been seized during the operation, he added.

Twelve Philippines have been arrested and handed over to the judicial officials, the commander mentioned.

Naval unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) seized a foreign tanker smuggling 700,000 liters of fuel, in an area near Farsi Island- a tiny, barren Iranian island in the Persian Gulf in August, as well as detaining a foreign ship smuggling one million liters of fuel, in the south of the Iranian southern Larak Island in July.

In early March, intelligence forces of the IRGC also dismantled a major fuel smuggling circle, seizing more than 10 million liters of fuel.

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