Iranian Police Seize over Two Tons of Illicit Drugs in Single Operation
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian police forces managed to seize more than 2,000 kilograms of narcotics in the southern province of Kerman in a single operation against an international drug ring, according to a local police commander.
Speaking to reporters in Rudbar-e Jonoob in Kerman Province on Sunday, Colonel Reza Firouzbakht said in an armed clash with the international drug gang in the city, the intelligence forces of the police managed to smash the ring.
During the operation, over two tons of illicit drugs were seized, he said, adding that the intelligence forces also managed to capture two combat weapons and a large amount of ammunition from the drug smugglers.
The police forces are serious not to allow drug traffickers to operate in the city, the commander stressed.
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.
