Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 5
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iran's police seized 695 kilograms of opium in the south western Province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Saeed Baleshzar, commander of the province's anti-narcotics police said.
The police seized the drug consignment which was embedded in a truck at 4:00 local time (UTC+03:30) near Yasuj city, Baleshzar said, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported on Aug. 5.
He went on to add that the cargo was destined for Tehran from one of the eastern provinces.
The truck driver was arrested, the police commander said, adding efforts for arrest of other members of the smuggling group continue.
Iran is situated on a major drug route between Afghanistan and Europe, as well as the Gulf States. The Islamic Republic shares about 900 kilometers of common border with Afghanistan, over which 74 percent of opium is smuggled.
It was reported that some 500 tonnes of drugs were seized in the country during the 12-month period from 21 March 2013 to 21 March 2014.
The fight against drugs annually costs Iran about $1 billion, according to the official estimates. The statistics also say there are about two million drug users in Iran.
Edited by CN