Iran's police seize over 2 tons of drugs in armed clashes with smugglers
By Trend
Iran’s police seized over 2 tons of drugs in armed clashes with smugglers in the country's southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.
The police forces arrested five smugglers in the clashes, the deputy police commander of Sistan and Baluchestan province, Ahmad Taheri said, the official website of Iran’s police reported July 12.
During the armed clash, which occurred last night, police forces sized 1,902 kilograms of opium as well as 74 kilograms of hashish and 32 kilograms of heroin, Taheri said.
The police forces also seized three AK-47 guns from the smugglers, he added.
Iran 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.
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