Drug-trafficking gang dismantled in W Iran

Second Brigadier General Ali Akbar Javidan made the announcement, saying that following comprehensive intelligence activities, police forces of the province have identified and dismantled a drug gang that distributed opium.

The police chief noted that the consignment was discovered in a truck on which had entered Kermanshah from the eastern provinces.

One smuggler has been seized in this regard, in addition to confiscation of 521 kilograms of opium, he said.

670 kilograms of narcotics have been busted in the province since the beginning of the New Year in Iran (starting March 20) which indicates a 51 percent increase compared to the corresponding period last year, he added.

6 drug-trafficking bands have been dismantled in the province in the same period, Javidan said.

These sorts of operations are usual for Iran which is a neighbor to the source of drugs, Afghanistan. The Islamic Republic has been combating drug-traffickers for the past decades despite high economic and human costs. The country has spent more than $700 million on sealing its borders and preventing the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab, and Central Asian countries.

MNA/FNA 13990213000162