Yemeni government forces dealt another blow to Iran-backed smuggling networks this week, intercepting two shipments and announcing death sentences against six Iranian traffickers, as international efforts continue to counter illicit activities in the Arabian Sea.
According to Yemeni security media, a joint security task force in the Al-Madhariba and Ras Al-Ara district of Lahj Governorate, west of Aden, intercepted an Iranian vessel near the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The ship, en route to Houthi-controlled territory, was carrying weapons, military equipment, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods of Iranian origin. Its crew of eight sailors was arrested.
A security source from the task force said Wednesday that the operation followed “close monitoring and precise tracking of the vessel’s movements as it attempted to infiltrate Yemeni territorial waters.”
The vessel reportedly departed from Bandar Abbas Port in Iran and was headed to Houthi-held areas in the Hodeidah Governorate.
Upon boarding and inspection, authorities found an anti-tank Kornet missile and drone components, including engines and control cables with military specifications, as well as eight boxes of Iranian pharmaceuticals, food and consumer products.
The ship was towed to a nearby port for further investigation amid indications of a coordinated maritime smuggling network operating with direct support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Abdulrahman Al-Mahrami, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, praised the security forces’ action as “a reflection of their vigilance in protecting the southern coast and cutting off smuggling routes.”
He said the continued interception of weapons and narcotics shipments bound for the Houthis represents “a strategic success in safeguarding national security and international navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.”
Yemeni Information Minister Moammar Al-Eryani said the seizure of the vessel from Bandar Abbas “provides further evidence of Iran’s ongoing arms smuggling to the Houthi militia,” in open defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.
He warned that “this aggressive behavior threatens regional security, maritime navigation, and global trade.”
The operation came just a day after the same task force foiled a major drug smuggling attempt in the same coastal area, seizing more than 1 million Pregabalin tablets concealed in a truck.
Meanwhile, in a related judicial development, a court in Hadramawt sentenced six Iranians to death for smuggling over three tons of hashish and methamphetamine into Yemen. The defendants were arrested after their boat was intercepted off the coast of Al-Mahra.
This is one of the most significant rulings directly implicating Iranian nationals in narcotics smuggling to Yemen in recent years.
