Iranian Police Seize 120 Tons of Illicit Drugs in Southeastern Province: Commander
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s anti-narcotics police forces managed to seize 120 tons of narcotics in the southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan during the current Iranian calendar year (ends on March 21), the provincial police chief announced.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference on Wednesday, Brigadier General Hossein Rahimi praised efforts made by his forces and said that in the current year of 1395, 120 tons of various types of illicit drugs were seized in Sistan and Balouchestan Province, accounting for one fifth of the total seizures in the country.
He said the seizures in the province have increased by 45 percent compared to the same period last year.
According to the commander, the seizures set a record as the largest in Sistan and Balouchestan since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
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 35 years.
