Turkmenistan: Iranians shot at on border were drug smugglers

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan – Turkmenistan says the Iranians who were shot by border guards in the Caspian Sea were trying to smuggle in narcotics.

Iran’s semi-official ILNA news agency said two fishermen were killed and two others detained in the Tuesday incident. But the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said Friday that they were smuggling in “a large consignment” of narcotics.

The Turkmen statement said the smugglers were in Turkmen waters and did not submit to border guards’ commands, after which “violent methods of coercion were applied.” It did not state a casualty toll.

Turkmenistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia share the Caspian Sea, which is a lucrative source of oil, gas and caviar.