Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 1
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
The Islamic Republic security forces seized some 366.6 tons of drugs in the first seven months of the current Iranian fiscal year (March 21-Oct. 22), Parviz Afshar, spokesman with Iran drug control headcounters said.
He said that the figure indicates a 21 percent increase compared to the same period of preceding year, Iran's ISNA news agency reported Nov. 1.
Some 1,280 skirmishes were observed between the smugglers and the police during the 7-month period, 18 percent more year on year, Afshar said.
He further said that some 1,767 groups involved in drug trafficking were neutralized during this period, indicating a 10 percent rise compared to the same months of preceding year.
Some 59,181 people were detained for drug smuggling in Iran for the first seven months of the current Iranian year, meanwhile the figure stood at 70, 864 people in the same period last year, he added.
Afshar also said that some 133 clandestine workshops for the production of methamphetamine were revealed in Iran during the 7-month period, 10 percent less year on year.
Iran is situated on a major drug route between Afghanistan and Europe, as well as the Gulf States. The Islamic Republic shares about 900 kilometers of common border with Afghanistan, over which 74 percent of opium is smuggled.
It was reported that some 490 tons of drugs were seized in the country during the last fiscal year (ended on March 20).
The fight against drugs annually costs Iran about $1 billion, according to the official estimates. The statistics also say there are about two million drug users in Iran.
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