Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Iran’s police seized about 2,290 kilograms of various drugs, including opium and hashish, from smugglers in the country's southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.
Police forces seized 2,240 kilograms of opium and 49 kilograms of hashish in an armed clash with smugglers near the border city of Saravan last night, the province's border guard commander, General Saeed Komeili, said, state-run IRINN TV reported June 12.
The smugglers, who were trying to bring drugs into the country, escaped, leaving their consignment following several hours of fire exchange, 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.
According to the statistics, there are about two million drug users in Iran.