Smuggled Pesticides Seized in Mocha Coasts

Official sources affiliated with the Coast Guard Authority announced they seized two containers of pesticides after some parties tried to smuggle them into Yemen through Mocha coasts.

The sources added that security men are still hunting the people accused of smuggling the expired pesticides, noting pesticides are blamed for the increase of chronic health problems in Yemen.

Meanwhile, Aden Terminal Authorities disallowed the entrance of a pesticide shipment imported by a Yemeni merchant because of being invalid and the importer was forced to return the shipment back to the origin country.

Sources told Yemen Post that boats boarding the shipment headed to Miun Island in effort to escape the seizure by coast guard forces; however, their alertness prevented them from smuggling pesticides into the country.

In a field campaign conducted across the nation, the Ministry of Agriculture inspectors seized five ton of expired and prohibited pesticides.  

Pesticides Importers Syndicate, formed last month, has not commented on the incident. Still, it is widely believed that pesticides smuggled into Arab markets, including that of Yemen, are produced in Israel.

Yemeni authorities have recently exercised tight measures on pesticides imports after many experts blamed the increased cancer rates on their irrational usage especially for fruit, vegetables and Qat, which is chewed daily by Yemeni people.

Inaugurating Al-Amal Center for Treating Cancer, President Saleh assured that pesticides are directly responsible for the enlarged number of cancer cases among Yemeni children, calling on land, air and sea outlets' officials to keep alert and to confiscate and burn any smuggled pesticides.