A Yemeni court on Tuesday sentenced three crew members of a ship that was intercepted allegedly travelling from Iran in January
The nine defendants were sentenced to between three and 10 years in prison by the state court in Aden, south Yemen, Agence France Presse reported.
Three defendants were given six years in prison, whilst four others were given one year behind bars, the AFP special correspondent inside the Aden court added.
The ship and its cargo were confiscated when the vessel was intercepted.
The shipment was intercepted by the Yemeni authorities on January 23, who say that it was carrying surface-to-air missiles, Katyusha rockets, explosives, ammunition and surveillance systems, AFP said.
The Yemeni coast guard, in coordination with the U.S. navy, intercepted the Jihan II in the Arabia Sea. Yemeni authorities say that the shipment was supplied and set off from Iran.
The Iranian government -- who, due to a 2007 UN resolution are banned from exporting arms -- have repeatedly denied that they involvement in the shipment. The vessel was inspected by UN experts in February, AFP reported.
