Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Deputy chief of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Branimir Bratonov has hailed Iranian law enforcement police squad for their relentless efforts in combating drug trafficking, and said that despite the West's sanctions, Iran's police are well equipped for fighting drug traffickers, Fars news agency reported.

Bratonov, who is also Bulgaria's representative in counternarcotics affairs, made the remarks in a meeting with Commander of the anti-narcotics squad of Iran's Law Enforcement Police, General Ali Moayyedi in Tehran on Tuesday.

He said despite sanctions, Iran has, in fact, no shortage of equipment for fighting and confronting narcotics, praising Iran's achievements in the war on drugs.

"I believe that one of the achievements of these meetings should be finding ways to supply the equipment needed for controlling Iranian borders, although my studies and also what I have heard of the Iranian officials indicate that Iran has managed to have a serious and efficient combat against drugs despite the short supply of equipment," Bratonov said.

Meanwhile, Interpol's Executive Director of Police Services Jean-Michel Louboutin hailed Iran's comprehensive efforts in combating drug trafficking, referring to a joint operation between the Iranian police forces and Interpol, Press TV reported.

Louboutin, who is visiting Iran to promote further cooperation between the international organization and the Iranian police, made the remarks during a Tuesday meeting with the chief of Interpol section of the Iranian police Massoud Rezvani.

Louboutin said Iran is one of the oldest member countries of Interpol, noting that "cooperation between Iran and Interpol is at an acceptable level."

Louboutin, on his first visit to Iran, stressed that Iranian police have been trained effectively enough to deal with different types of crimes.

Iran has a 900-kilometer border with Afghanistan, which is the world's number one opium and drug producer. Iran's geographical position has made the country a favorite transit corridor for drug traffickers who intend to smuggle their cargoes from Afghanistan to drug dealers in Europe.

Iran spends billions of dollars and has lost thousands of its police troops in the war against traffickers. Iran has reportedly spent more than $700 million to seal the borders and prevent the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.

Owing to its rigid efforts, Iran makes 89 percent of the world's total opium seizures and has turned into the leading country in combating drugs.

Iranian police officials maintain that drug production in Afghanistan has undergone a 40-fold increase since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.

Iran's Law Enforcement Police General Ali Moayyedi has criticized the NATO forces in Afghanistan over increasing drug production and trafficking, saying they have created a safe haven for drug-traffickers.

Moayyedi said "the evidence substantiating our claim is the growth in the production of narcotics in Afghanistan after the presence of the occupying forces in that country."

Iran has always lambasted the NATO forces in Afghanistan over increasing drug cultivation, production and trafficking in Afghanistan, and said that almost all the world's opium production is done before the eyes of the foreign troops in Afghanistan.

While Afghanistan produced only 185 tons of opium per year under the Taliban, according to the UN statistics, since the US-led invasion, drug production has surged to 3,400 tons annually. In 2007, the opium trade reached an estimated all-time production high of 8,200 tons.

Afghan and Western officials blame Washington and NATO for the change, saying that allies have "overlooked" the drug problem since invading the country 12 years ago.