Speaking to reporters at a press conference in the central city of Arak in Markazi Province on Wednesday, Colonel Ahmadreza Chegeni pointed to the performance of the province’s anti-narcotics police and said that 1,541 kilograms of various types of illicit drugs have been seized since the beginning of the current year.
He further said 780 criminals involved in the production and smuggling of drugs have also been arrested by the police during the period.
The commander added that over the past 21 days, 337 kg of illicit drugs have been captured in the province, which shows a 127 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
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 four decades.