Article 234.4.3 (Illegal acquisition or possession 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 the afternoon of December 1, 2022, Nijat Aliyev was detained near his home in the village of Masazir by civilians and taken to an unknown location without a warrant or witnesses. His relatives later learned that he had been arrested by police on drug possession charges.
On December 2, 2022, the Binagadi District Court of Baku sentenced him to four months' imprisonment as a preventive measure to continue the investigation. His pretrial detention during the investigation was subsequently extended several times.