Roughly 11 drug smugglers have been neutralized on the Iranian border with Afghanistan and Pakistan over the last two weeks, Deputy Commander of the Iranian Border Police Ahmad Geravand was quoted by the Mehr news agency as saying.
The drugs were smuggled by specially trained individuals supported by other countries, he said.
"We want to tighten security on the borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan to prevent drug trafficking," he said.
He noted that roughly 1,540 kilograms of narcotic substances were confiscated yesterday at the checkpoint Sarwan. One smuggler was killed in a shootout with police, while the others managed to cross the border with Pakistan. Armed relatives of the deceased then attacked the checkpoint. As a result of the confrontation, three died and three were arrested, he said.
Iran is a transit corridor between Europe and Afghanistan, which is a major opium producer.
According to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan is the world's largest free trade area for illegal trade in weapons and drugs.