See, the thing I like about the Internet, is you can search old records without the influence of today's events.
This is 2009 article showing Aden as a hub of weapons smuggling, so not exactly "weapons free zone",
Weapons for Warlords: Arms Trafficking in the Gulf of Aden | The Jamestown Foundation
This is 2014 article about Al Qaeda in Aden,
Al Qaeda weapons ship docks in Aden | The Long War Journal
"According to a local Yemeni newspaper, on April 11 al Qaeda militants
sailed a ship loaded with weapons into the country’s southern port in Aden. Clashes erupted between the militants and security personel from the Yemeni anti-smuggling unit when the ship docked in Aden and the militants began offloading the weapons. The militants violently engaged the security personnel and then managed to escape by reboarding the ship and setting sail."