Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 18
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Iran’s border police seized some 1.36 tons of hashish in the south-eastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.
The incident took place near the Saravan city on the Iran-Pakistan border, when smugglers were crossing the border in three vehicles, Rohambakhsh Habibi, commander of the province border guards, said, Fars news agency reported Aug 18.
After a police operation, the smugglers escaped into Pakistan, leaving their hashish consignment and cars, he added.
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.
The statistics also say there are about two million drug users in Iran.