A joint task force of Yemeni security, judicial, and presidential officials on Tuesday began investigating a suspicious shipment seized at the port of Aden containing drone components and espionage equipment, as a UN report warned of an emerging arms trafficking network linking Yemen’s Houthi militias with al-Qaeda and Somalia’s al-Shabaab.
Local sources in Aden reported that the Port Security Directorate in the free zone had recently alerted the public prosecution to a container shipment found to contain fully assembled drone storage systems and jet propulsion devices.
Anti-terrorism units were immediately dispatched to the site alongside prosecutors to secure the cargo and begin legal procedures.
According to the sources, the cache was discovered during routine inspection operations, with no accompanying documents identifying its origin or intended destination.
Officials have so far declined to provide further details, but speculation is mounting that the shipment was destined for the Iran-aligned Houthi militias, which have long relied on smuggled weapons and military supplies from Tehran.
Sources dismissed reports suggesting the shipment was intercepted at sea, saying it likely entered the port via official channels with forged paperwork in an apparent attempt to bypass inspections - an effort thwarted by port authorities and vigilant security forces.
The latest seizure comes weeks after Yemen’s National Resistance Forces intercepted a major Iranian weapons shipment near Hanish Island in the Red Sea. That cache reportedly weighed 750 tons and included various types of military equipment, all bound for the Houthis.
