Iran's Police Chief Esmail Ahmadi Moqaddam reiterated that instability and insecurity in the neighboring countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan should be viewed as the main cause of the hike in drug trafficking to Iran, Fars reported.
Ahmadi Moqaddam made the remarks in a meeting with President of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) Khoo Boon Hui here in Tehran, noting, "The existence of unstable Afghanistan and Pakistan has paved the way for over 100 organized groups to produce and smuggle drugs."
"Iran shares 2,000 kilometers common border with Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq and due to the countries' lack of security, drugs are smuggled into Iran," he said.
He also added Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes cooperation with Interpol, adding "Iran was introduced as a pioneer country for fighting drugs due to its constructive cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2009, and it was elected as the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) Head in 2010."
Hui, for his part, lauded Iran for its effective efforts in fighting the smuggling of the narcotic drugs, and reiterated that all countries around the world use Iran's experiences in fighting drug smuggling and organized crimes.
Iran leads international efforts in fighting drug networks and narcotic traffickers.
According to the statistical figures released by the UN, Iran ranks first among the world countries in preventing entry of drugs and decreasing demand for narcotics. The United Nations credits Iran with the seizure of 80 percent of the opium netted around the world.