Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 17 / Trend, N. Umid/
Iran's police seized some 284 kilograms of opium in the country's western Province of Hamadan from drug smugglers during last day, the Hamadan Province's police commander, Mohammad Mehdian Nasab said, Mehr news agency reported.
He went on to note that police has seized drugs during two operations, adding that seven smugglers have been arrested. Along with that, 9 smuggling groups have collapsed.
Iran is situated in a major drug route between Afghanistan and Europe, as well as the Persian Gulf states. The Islamic Republic shares about 900 kilometers of common border with Afghanistan, across which about 74 percent of opium is smuggled.
According to the official estimates, the fight against drugs annually cost Iran about $1 billion. The statistics also say that there are about 2 million of drug users in Iran.
It was reported that 500 tons of drugs were seized during the last solar year and more than 215 tons during the first 5 months of the current solar year.
Every year, Iran burns more than 60 tons of various seized drugs as a symbol of its determination to fight against drugs.