Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Iran's police have seized more than 8.4 tons of narcotics across the country in less than one week of operations, Asadollah Hadinejad, the deputy head of Iran's Anti-Drug Headquarters, said.
The police seized various illegal drugs including 7.5 tons of opium, 312 kilograms of hashish and 143 kilograms of heroin in last one-week period, Hadinejad said, Fars news agency reported Jan. 28.
Hadinejad further said the police also arrested 196 drug traffickers in the period.
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 statistics, there are about two million drug users in Iran.