Articles 228.1 (Illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, or carrying of firearms, their components, ammunition (except for smooth-bore hunting weapons and ammunition), explosives, or explosive devices) and 234.4.3 (Illegal acquisition or storage for the purpose of sale, manufacture, production, processing, transportation, transfer, or sale of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances in large quantities) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

On February 2, 2023, the Sabunchu District Court of Baku sentenced 60-year-old Etibar Ismayilov, a resident of the village of Mashtaga, to four months' imprisonment in a pretrial detention center during the preliminary investigation. The Sabunchu District Court subsequently extended E. Ismayilov's pretrial detention for the duration of the investigation.