Iran Police Capture over 2 Tons of Narcotics in 48 Hours
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s police forces have managed to capture over 2,000 kilograms of various kinds of illicit drugs in the southern province of Hormozgan within 48 hours, a provincial police commander announced.
Following round-the-clock intelligence activities, the police forces of Hormozgan managed to identify and track several vehicles transiting illicit drugs in the province and arrest 13 smugglers over the past 48 hours, Brigadier General Azizollah Maleki said on Saturday.
After inspecting the vehicles, the forces seized 1,398 kg of opium and 635 kg of hashish, the commander 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.