Iran’s Police Capture Biggest Haul of Illicit Drugs
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s anti-narcotics police forces have managed to seize more than 6,000 kilograms of narcotics during a single operation in the southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan, a provincial police commander announced.
The intelligence forces of the anti-narcotics police in Sistan and Balouchestan were recently informed about a major armed drug ring that had intended to transit a big haul of illicit drugs from eastern border, Brigadier General Mohammad Qanbari said, the official news website of police reported on Tuesday.
After several days of round-the-clock efforts in impassable areas, the police forces managed to identify the drug ring and keep its members under surveillance, he added.
In a clash with the drug smugglers on Monday evening that lasted until late at night, the forces managed to capture over 6 tons of opium, the biggest haul of illicit drugs seized in a single operation in the current Iranian year (March 2018-March 2019), according to the commander.
The forces also seized seven vehicles of the smugglers and a number of combat weapons and ammunition.
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.
