Brigadier General Hossein Rahimi said that, following round-the-clock efforts made by the anti-narcotics forces in the city of Saravan, they identified a major drug ring that intended to smuggle a huge cargo of illicit drugs.
In an overnight operation, the police forces managed to seize 1,647 kg of opium after chasing the smugglers’ vehicles and clashing with them.
In another operation in Mehrestan, he said, police seized 550 kg of opium in a vehicle.
In recent decades, Iran has been hit by drug trafficking, mainly because of its 936km shared border with Afghanistan, which produces more than 90% of the world’s opium.
According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the Islamic Republic is netting eight times more opium and three times more heroin than all other countries in the world combined.
The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 3,700 Iranian police officers over the past 30 years.
