International Deputy of Iran Drug Control Headquarters Nasser Aslani made the announcement on Wednesday, saying that some 34.183 tons of illicit drugs consisting of 27.233 tons of opium and 3.821 tons of hashish, 1.171 tons of heroin, 1.170 tons of crystal, 402kilograms of grass, 97 kilograms of morphine, and 289 kilograms of other kinds of drugs have been busted by police forces.
The figure indicates a 58 percent increase compared to the corresponding period last year, he added.
According to Aslani, 4,071 smugglers have been arrested and 420 vehicles seized in the same period by police forces.
The Islamic Republic has been actively fighting drug-trafficking over the past three decades, despite its high economic and human costs. The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 Iranian police officers over the past four decades. The country has spent more than hundreds of millions of dollars on sealing its borders and preventing the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.
MNA/IRN 83751783