International Deputy of Iran Drug Control Headquarters Nasser Aslani said on Tuesday that 22,800 kilograms of illegal drugs have been seized across the country during the last week.
The figure indicates a 49 percent increase compared to the corresponding period last year (15,331kg), he added.
The consignment consisted of 19,387 kg of opium, 2,964 kg of hashish, 235 kg of heroin, 84 kg of crystal, 48 kg of grass, 26 morphine, and 56 kg of other types of drugs, he said.
3,993 smugglers have been arrested and 477 vehicles and some ammunition seized in the same period by police forces, Aslani said.
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.
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