By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 23
Iran's police seized about 902 kilograms of various drugs including opium and morphine from smugglers in the country's southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.
Police forces seized 875 kilograms of opium and 27 kilograms of morphine in armed clash with smugglers, the province's police commander, Brigadier General Hossein Rahimi said, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported Aug. 23.
The incident took place last night in the border city of Saravan, Rahimi said, adding that the smugglers left the drugs and fled the scene.
Efforts for arrest of the smugglers continue, the police commander said.
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.