31 Tons of Narcotics Seized in Iran’s Central Province
YAZD (Tasnim) – Police Chief of Iran’s central province of Yazd said over 31 tons of different types of illicit drugs have been discovered and seized in this province in the past 11 months, showing a 54 percent increase compared with the amount seized in the same period last year.
Brigadier General Iraj Kakavand said the nearly 32 tons of illicit drugs included 2 tons of heroin, over 4 tons of hashish, and more than 24 tons of opium.
The police forces in Yazd province have also disbanded 41 drug trafficking rings and confiscated 378 light and heavy vehicles used for smuggling drugs, he 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 34 years.
