Iran security forces seize 4 tons of drug precursors

19 August 2016 15:00 (UTC+04:00)

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Iranian security forces have seized four tons of drug raw materials, also known as precursors for narcotic chemicals.

The substances were discovered and seized by Intelligence Ministry forces in the southern Hormozgan Province, Tasnim news agency reported August 19.

The substances consisted of industrial and traditional precursors that could be used to produce one ton of pure heroin, the report said.

The material had been placed in two separate containers of used automobile parts and industrial coolant sent from China and Taiwan, the provincial intelligence chief stated.

Just a day earlier, Iran’s border police seized some 1.36 tons of hashish in the south-eastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan.

The incident took place near the Saravan city on the Iran-Pakistan border, when smugglers were crossing the border in three vehicles, Rohambakhsh Habibi, commander of the province border guards, said.

After a police operation, the smugglers escaped into Pakistan, leaving their hashish consignment and cars, he added.

Iran is situated on a major drugs route between Afghanistan and Europe, as well as the Persian Gulf states. The Islamic Republic shares about 900 kilometers of border with Afghanistan, over which 74 percent of the world’s opium is smuggled.

The fight against drug trafficking annually costs Iran about $1 billion, according to official estimates.

The statistics also say there are about two million drug users in Iran.

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