Publish Date: 25 April 2020 - 18:30

TEHRAN, Apr. 25 (MNA) – The police forces of Yazd province in Iran have busted 1,280 kilograms of narcotics in the province in the past 4 days.

Police Chief of Yazd Province Second Brigadier General Mohammadreza Mir-Heidari made the announcement on Saturday, saying that following comprehensive intelligence activities in the past four days, the police forces seized 1.280 tons of illicit drugs during some operations, which constituted 847 kg of opium and 433 kg of hashish.

10 smugglers have been arrested in this regard, he added.

According to the police chief, the illegal consignments were destined for Tehran from southern provinces.

Iran, which has a 900-kilometer common border with Afghanistan, has been used as the main conduit for smuggling Afghan drugs to narcotics kingpins in Europe.

Despite high economic and human costs, the Islamic Republic has been actively fighting drug-trafficking over the past decades.

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

The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 Iranian police officers over the past four decades.

MNA/IRN 83763971