Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Iran’s police seized over 2.2 tons of various drugs from smugglers in the country's southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.
The police forces seized 2,222 kilograms of hashish and 70 kilograms of opium from drug-traffickers near Iranshahr city, the police commander of Sistan and Baluchestan province, Brigadier General Mohammad Ghanbari said, the official website of Iran’s police reported Dec. 12.
The police forces also seized an AK-47, Ghanbari said, adding that the smugglers left the drug consignment and escaped.
The narcotics were destined for central Iran, the police commander said.
Iran’s police have seized over 400 tons of various drugs during the first half of the current fiscal year (March 20-Sept. 22), which indicates a rise by 11 percent year on year, according to the latest statistics of Iran Drug Control Headquarters.
The country sits 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.