Border Guards Seize Two Tons of Illicit Drugs Southeast of Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran border guards managed to seize 2,000 kilograms of illicit drugs in a single operation in the southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan, the border police commander of the province said.
The border guards in Saravan, in a successful operation, identified a major drug ring that intended to smuggle a huge cargo of illicit drugs into the country, Brigadier General Raham Bakhsh Habibi said on Tuesday.
After clashing with the members of the drugs ring, the border guards managed to seize two tons of opium, he noted.
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.