Iran Police Seize over 1.7 Tons of Illicit Drugs in Single Operation
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s anti-narcotics police forces on Tuesday managed to seize more than 1,700 kilograms of various kinds of illicit drugs during an operation in the southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan, a provincial police commander announced.
After receiving a report about the transfer of a big haul of narcotics from the country’s border areas to Sarbaz County in Sistan and Balouchestan, the issue was put high on the agenda of the anti-narcotics police in the city, the commander said.
He further said in the operation mounted at 1 a.m. (local time) on Tuesday, the security forces clashed with the drug smugglers and arrested three of them.
The police forces also captured 1,720 kg of opium, 21.6 kg of heroin, and 2 kg of hashish, the provincial police official said.
Police and security forces have been quite successful in ensuring security in the province of Sistan and Balouchestan despite its long borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, harsh weather and vast desert areas.
Iran, which has a 900-kilometer common border with Afghanistan, has been used as the main conduit for smuggling Afghan drugs to narcotics kingpins in Europe.
Despite high economic and human costs, the Islamic Republic has been actively fighting drug-trafficking over the past decades.
The country has spent more than $700 million on sealing its borders and preventing the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.
The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 Iranian police officers over the past four decades.
