Police confiscate over 1 ton of narcotics in SE Iran

The Police Chief of Sistan and Baluchistan Province Second Brigadier General Ahmad Taheri made the announcement on Monday, saying that the anti-narcotics police of the province and the cities of Iranshahr and Mehrestan obtained clues about the transfer of drug shipments from the southern parts of the province to the central area of Iranshahr city.

After several days of extensive intelligence work in the region, the province's anti-narcotics police identified armed smugglers who were intended to transfer illicit drugs by 5 vehicles, he added.

Some smugglers fled to the highlands of the area using the darkness of the night when they found themselves ambushed and surrounded by police forces, he said, adding that but the police forces have managed to arrest four smugglers during the operation.

According to the police chief, the police forces seized 1.116 tons of opium, 228 kilograms of hashish and 59 kilograms of heroin addition to confiscation of some weapons and ammunition.

Iran, which has a 900-kilometer common border with Afghanistan, is at the forefront of the fight against drug trafficking and thousands of Iranian forces have been so far martyred to protect the world from the danger of drugs. Despite high economic and human costs, the Islamic Republic has been actively fighting drug trafficking over the past decades.

Iran has spent more than $700 million on sealing its borders and preventing the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab, and Central Asian countries.

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