Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 9
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iranian police killed one drug smuggler during a confrontation in the country's northeastern province of Razavi Khorasan.
The incident took place in the city of Mashahd on Sept. 9, the province's police commander, Brigadier General Bahman Amiri Moghadam said, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.
Police seized 400 kilograms of opium from the smuggler, the commander noted.
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 metric tons of drugs were seized in the country during the 12-month period from March 21, 2013 to March 21, 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