Drug importation: 8 Iranians sentenced to 20 years by Seychelles Supreme Court

The Seychelles Supreme Court has convicted eight male nationals of Iran to 20 years in prison for importation and conspiracy to import illicit drugs, said the police on Thursday.

According to the police, the Iranians were given prison sentences of 20 years for conspiracy to import heroin and diamorphine, 20 years for the importation, and two terms of 15 years for conspiracy to import opium.

The sentences run concurrently so the prison term for the eight Iranians is 20 years.

The Iranians were arrested on October 2 last year after their vessel, under the leadership of Captain Kahn Mohammad aged 42, was intercepted by Seychelles Coast Guard patrol ship Etoile.

The vessel was detected by a Seychelles Air Force surveillance aircraft during a routine surveillance patrol. Packets of heroin were found onboard and seized, which some of the vessel’s crew tried to throw overboard.

Seychelles, an archipelago in the Western Indian Ocean, has an Exclusive Economic Zone of 1.4 million square kilometres and has stepped up efforts to combat illicit drug trafficking and illegal fishing in its waters.

Source: Seychelles News Agency