Iran Police Seize 13 Tons of Drugs in Border Areas in 2 Months
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A top Iranian commander said the police forces have confiscated more than 13 tons of illicit drugs along the country's border regions over the past two months.
In a meeting at the Interior Ministry on Wednesday, Iran Border Police Commander Brigadier General Qassem Rezaei said more than 13 tons of various types of drugs have been confiscated since March 21.
The general also noted that the amount of smuggled clothes confiscated by his forces in the past two months has tripled in comparison with the corresponding period last year.
On Monday, Iran Police Chief Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari said his men in the southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan had confiscated 7 tons of narcotics in two separate operations during only 24 hours.
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 four 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.
