Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 25
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iran's police seized about 1,100 kilograms of narcotics in the south eastern Province of Sistan and Baluchestan in Iran, the province's police chief, Hamid Fahimi Rad said, Fars news agency reported on Dec.25.
The police seized narcotics during an operation against armed drug smugglers last night near Saravan city.
Iran is situated in a major drug route between Afghanistan and Europe, as well as the Persian Gulf states. The Islamic Republic shares about 900 kilometres of common border with Afghanistan, over which 74 per cent of opium is smuggled.
According to the official estimates, the fight against drugs annually costs Iran about $1 billion. The statistics also say there are about two million drug users in Iran.
It was reported that 500 tons of drugs were seized during the last solar year (ended on March 21) and more than 215 tons during the first five months of the current solar year.