Police Seize over 1.6 Tons of Drugs in SE Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian Border Police forces in the southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan have captured more than 1,600 kg of drugs in two separate operations, a top commander said.
Commander of the Iranian Border Police Brigadier General Ahmadali Goodarzi said his forces serving in Jakigoor border regiment have seized a haul of drugs weighing 1,350 kg in a single operation near the border.
After an exchange of fire with the drug traffickers in a car chase, the Border Police confiscated a vehicle, arrested a smuggler, and seized more than 1,349 kg of illicit drugs including opium, methamphetamine, and hashish, the commander said.
In another operation in Saravan border region, the security forces captured 288 kg of opium and hash, he noted.
The general announced last week that confiscation of narcotics by his forces in the first four months of the current Iranian year (began on March 20) has increased by 87% compared to the corresponding period last year.
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.