Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 8
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Iran’s police seized about 214 kilograms of heroin and hashish from smugglers in the country's central province of Alborz.
Police forces seized 120-kilogram and 93-kilogram cargos of hashish and heroin from smugglers during two different operations, the province's police commander, Bakhshali Kamrani said, IRNA news agency reported Jan. 8.
Eight smugglers were arrested during police operations, Kamrani said, adding that over six tons of various narcotics were sized in the province since March 2016.
Iran is situated on 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, over which 74 percent of opium is smuggled.
The fight against drug trafficking annually costs Iran about $1 billion, according to the official estimates.
According to the statistics, there are about two million drug users in Iran.