Customs find 63.417 kg of marijuana inside 84 watermelons at Astara
Customs officers in Astara found dried marijuana hidden in foil-wrapped packages inside 84 watermelons in a vehicle carrying fruit from Iran to Russia through Azerbaijan; the reported total was 63.417 kg including packaging. A sniffer dog reacted to 42 boxes, and the State Customs Committee said an investigation was under way.
Officers of the Astara Customs Department of Azerbaijan’s State Customs
Committee found a large quantity of drugs hidden in watermelons during a customs
operation.[1]Customs officers inspected a vehicle carrying a load of “fresh
watermelons” from Iran to Russia in transit through Azerbaijan.[1]A
stationary X-ray scanner flagged suspicious lines in the cargo during the
initial screening.[2]
During a further detailed check, a trained sniffer dog reacted to 42 boxes.[2]The boxes held 84 watermelons containing foil-wrapped packages of dried
marijuana concealed inside the fruit.[1]The State Customs Committee’s
reported total was 63 kilograms417 grams, including packaging, for the dried
marijuana.[3]The concealed fruit load was described as an unusual attempt to
smuggle narcotics across the customs border.[3]The packages were sealed
inside the melons and wrapped to avoid suspicion during the customs check.[2]
An investigation into the incident was under way.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Cannabis
63.417 kg
Agency type
Customs
Cannabis
Herbal cannabis
Activity
Smuggling
Setting
Land border
Route
Iran → Russia via Astara, Azerbaijan
Sources
1news.az1news.azRUАрбузы с сюрпризом: в Азербайджане изъято более 63 кг наркотиков - ФОТО
Azernewsazernews.azAzerbaijan customs uncover massive drug shipment hidden inside watermelon [PHOTOS]
Trendaz.trend.azAZAstara gömrüyündə qarpızın içərisində gizlədilən narkotik aşkar edilib (FOTO)
Open questions the AI reported
The sources give no separate date for the inspection; 3 May 2025, the publication date, is used as the incident date.
No suspect, driver, arrest, charge or later court outcome is identified; the accounts say only that an investigation was under way.
The reported 63.417 kg includes packaging, so the net weight of the marijuana alone was not stated.
Between January and September 2026 Azerbaijan seized 8.4 tonnes of drugs, including 7,236 kg of marijuana, 253 kg of hashish and 21,355 cannabis plants, the State Commission reported. Police detected 6,247 drug cases and held 4,352 people criminally liable, while the Interior Ministry put its own nine-month seizures at 6,443 kg.
Charged 4,352Plants destroyed 21,355Cannabis 7.49053271 t
Customs officers at South Astara found 97.685 kilograms of cannabis in 90 packages hidden under lettuce on a truck travelling from Iran to Russia. A customs dog indicated the pallet during an inspection, and the State Customs Committee reported that an investigation was under way.
In January–August 2026 the authorities recorded 5,561 drug crimes and seized 6,994.958 kg of narcotics and psychotropic substances, valued at 208.47 million manat, the State Commission for Combating Drug Addiction reported. Marijuana accounted for 5,928.805 kg and hashish for 247.630 kg, and officers also took 17,372 cannabis plants out of circulation.
Officers at the Bilasuvar customs post found 25 kg 570 g of dried marijuana in 80 packages hidden in the pallets of a lorry carrying onions from Iran to Russia via Azerbaijan. The State Customs Committee said an investigation was under way, and no arrest was reported.
