Iranian Police Seize about Two Tons of Illicit Drugs, Kill Armed Smuggler
ZAHEDAN (Tasnim) – Iranian anti-narcotics police forces managed to capture about two tons of illicit drugs, arrest four armed traffickers and kill another in the southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan, the provincial police chief announced.
Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Brigadier General Hossein Rahimi said following unceasing efforts and intelligence activities, the province’s police forces identified a major drug ring that intended to transit a big haul of illicit drugs from border areas to cities across the country.
After monitoring the gang members’ activities for a few weeks, the intelligence teams of the police in Iranshahr, Mehrestan, Sib and Suran, and Chabahar identified and clashed with them, he said.
The commander went on to say that a smuggler was killed in the armed clashes and four others were arrested by the police forces.
In the operation, the forces seized 1,513 kilograms of opium, 119 kg of hashish, along with two handguns after inspecting the traffickers’ vehicles, he said.
In another surprise operation, the Law Enforcement forces in Zahedan, the province’s capital, arrested a smuggler, seizing 280 kg of hashish and 21 kg of heroin from him, Rahimi added.
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 three 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.
