YEREVAN. - The restraining order of Turkish citizen Osman Ugurlu will be extended until the end of March, the sources of Armenian News-NEWS.am have informed.   

We have learned that the investigation body will apply to the court no later that March 20, with a request to extend the Turkish citizen’s confinement for two months.    

Ugurlu’s public defender Artak Garoyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am that during this time his defendant was interrogated one more time.  

He added that they have decided not to appeal the court decision on not commuting the restraining order of the Turkish citizen, since they consider this to be an unnecessary waste of time.  

As for the fate of the one-ton heroin that is confiscated and which is worth $100-$200 million, the attorney said that, pursuant to the law, it needs to be destroyed, but this can be done solely by a court order. As to how it will be destroyed, Artak Garoyan informed that this is regulated by the relevant Government decisions.          

A truck heading to Georgia was inspected on January 17 at Armenia’s Meghri customs checkpoint on the border with Iran. During the inspection of the truck, the Armenian customs officers found 927 kilograms of heroin in a secret compartment. The truck driver, Georgian citizen Avtandil Martiashvili (born in 1953), was detained. Turkish citizen Osman Ugurlu, 40, who is suspected of being an organizer of this major drug smuggling attempt, was later detained in Armenian capital city Yerevan. Such a large quantity of drugs was discovered for the first time in the region. The Armenian National Security Service launched a criminal case.