26 Drug Rings Disbanded in Iran’s Northwestern Province in 10 Months
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian anti-narcotics police forces have managed to smash 26 drugs rings in the northwestern province of Ardebil over the past 10 months, provincial police chief said on Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference in Ardebil, the provincial capital, Colonel Mohammad Kheirkhah said in the first 10 months of the current Iranian year (which began on March 20, 2016), the police forces of the province have disbanded 26 drug gangs.
The commander added that over the same period, 3,372 individuals involved in smuggling narcotics have neem arrested and handed over to judicial authorities.
“The anti-narcotics police forces of Ardebil Province have tried their best to take a major step in fighting against drug trafficking,” he went on to say.
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.
