Police Seize over 2 Tons of Illicit Drugs in Northwestern Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran's anti-narcotic police forces in the northwestern province of West Azerbaijan seized 2,159 kilograms of illicit drugs over the first five months of the current Iranian year (March 21 – August 22), a provincial police chief announced Sunday.
“During the first five months of this year, 52 drug rings have been disbanded (by police forces) in the province, which has witnessed a 33 percent increase compared to the same period last year,” West Azerbaijan Police Chief Colonel Karim Akbari told reporters.
He said over the period, anti-narcotic police forces managed to seize 2,159 kg of various types of illicit drugs, including opium, heroin, methamphetamine, hashish and grass in the province.
In recent decades, Iran has been hit by drug trafficking, mainly because of its 936- kilometer shared border with Afghanistan, which produces more than 90% of the world’s opium.
According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the Islamic Republic is netting eight times more opium and three times more heroin than all other countries in the world combined.
The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 3,700 Iranian police officers over the past 30 years.
