Police Seize over 4 Tons of Opium in SE Iran


Police Seize over 4 Tons of Opium in SE Iran

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s anti-narcotics police forces have managed to capture more than 4,000 kilograms of opium in the southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan, a provincial police commander announced.

Brigadier General Mohammad Qanbari said the anti-narcotics police of the city of Iranshahr, Sistan and Balouchestan, on Tuesday obtained some information about a big haul of drugs being transited by an armed ring, according to the official news website of police.

Hence, the special operation teams of the police traced the vehicles of the drug smugglers in a mountainous area near the city and clashed with them, the commander said.

In the operation, the police forces managed to seize 2,757.9 kg of opium and three combat weapons and ammunitions, he added.

After several hours, a number of other members of the drug ring were identified in the city of Saravan, in the same province, Brigadier General Qanbari said, adding that 1,890.7 kg of opium were seized in the clash with them. 

Police and security forces have been quite successful in ensuring security in the province despite its long borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, harsh weather and vast desert areas.

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 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.

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