on Tuesday 5 December, 2023
Houthi rebels storm Sanaa customs and retrieve a truck carrying banned pesticides
Houthi armed elements stormed the customs yard in Sanaa, forcibly removing a trailer loaded with a shipment of toxic and banned pesticides belonging to one of the largest pesticide and drug traders in Houthi-controlled areas.
A document revealed that senior leaders in the emergency forces affiliated with the militias had transported on November 28th of last year a truck loaded with toxic pesticides of the type (methyl bromide, which is prohibited and banned), belonging to the international company Saba and owned by the merchant Daghsan Mohammed Daghsan.
According to the circulated document, which is a report addressed by the Director General of Customs in Sana'a to the Joint Operations Room at the department, Captain Nabil Lotfi, commander of the Emergency Forces affiliated with the militias, along with Officer Abdullah Al-Baradah, stormed the customs office square, accompanied by two military vehicles with members of the Emergency Forces. They informed the customs security officer that they have directives from the Director General of Command and Control at the Ministry of Interior to remove the tractor.
The report indicated that following that, the commander of the emergency forces, "Abu Badr Al-Marani," arrived accompanied by armed individuals, and they forcibly removed the trailer from the customs yard. They informed the director general of customs that they had high-level directives regarding this matter, and no one could prevent them from carrying out those directives.
The merchant Daghsan is considered one of the most important traders who owe loyalty to the Houthi leaders and participate with them in large deals, especially in the trade of fertilizers, banned substances, and some deals related to materials used in manufacturing, in addition to smuggling. This makes any interference with his interests by lower-ranking individuals unacceptable to the group's leadership.
Daghsan is included in the Security Council sanctions list.
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