Supreme Court of Seychelles charges 8 Iranians for illicit drugs trafficking

The Supreme Court of Seychelles has charged 8 Iranians, the crew of a vessel, for the importation of illicit drugs to the African archipelago.

The eight men onboard a vessel known as Abdullahi, were intercepted by the Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) on December 28, 2023, northeast of Denis Island, which lies 60 kilometers north of the main island of Mahe, where they were found without a flag, State-run news agency SNA reported.

The sea-farers reportedly upon seeing the SCG’s Zoroaster vessel attempted to get rid of the drugs by throwing them at sea, before eventually being stopped and transported to the SCG base at Ile Perseverance.

The coastguards discovered a total of 187.92 kilograms of illicit drugs, which included 150.95 kilograms of hashish, 22.15 kilograms of heroin, 12.30 kilograms of cannabis, and 2.55 kilograms of methamphetamine.

The security forces also seized GPS equipment, a satellite phone and three mobile phones.

The cargo was heading to Kenya. The men face life in prison. Seychelles hands “life in prison sentences” for such illicit drugs.