Over 1 Million Medical Masks Seized from Speculators in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies have suspended the activities of organized groups attempting to sell medical masks at speculative prices, as well as to smuggle them out of the country. More than 1 million masks have been confiscated from the offenders, which included foreign nationals, according to a statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs on March 9, reported by Armenpress.

“Several groups have been exposed, and all members, including foreign citizens, have been arrested,” the statement said.

Specifically, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, during an attempt to sell a large quantity of medical masks at speculative prices, three Iranian citizens were arrested, along with a group of five Azerbaijanis. In another operation, two Chinese citizens were detained who, in collaboration with a local resident, had purchased a large quantity of medical masks and were preparing to send them back to their home country.

“As a result of the measures taken, 1,050,000 medical masks were confiscated from the members of the groups as physical evidence,” the statement added. Currently, there have been seven reported cases of coronavirus infection in Azerbaijan, as reported by TASS.