Law enforcement and food safety officials in Azerbaijan have seized nearly 147 kilograms of horse meat unfit for human consumption during a raid in the Buruj village of the Tartar district. The operation uncovered 146.8 kilograms of deboned horse meat, along with a horse head and skeletal remains, which were intended for illegal distribution.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, the joint operation was conducted by the Garabagh regional division of the Food Safety Agency and the Tartar District Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). Investigations revealed that local residents Seymur Mammadov and Hasan Jafarli, in collaboration with butcher Seyfaddin Guliyev, slaughtered the animal and packaged the meat. The suspects reportedly intended to transport the product to Baku to be sold as beef to Elmaddin Jafarov.
This seizure is part of intensified efforts by Azerbaijani authorities to ensure food security and prevent the distribution of fraudulent meat products in the domestic market. The Food Safety Agency regularly conducts monitoring across the Republic of Azerbaijan to enforce strict sanitary and hygienic standards and protect consumer rights. Samples of the confiscated meat have been taken for laboratory analysis, and the product is currently being held in a refrigerated warehouse as the investigation continues.
