Publish Date: 27 May 2020 - 05:02

TEHRAN, May 27 (MNA) – The anti-narcotic forces of Sistan and Baluchestan province, southeastern Iran, have confiscated over 1 ton of illicit drugs in Khash County.

Police Chief of Sistan and Baluchestan province, Second Brigadier General Mohammad Ghanbari, said following intelligence operations, the forces traced a big haul of illicit drugs in Khash County.

1,013 kg of illicit drugs were confiscated in the operation, he said.

Two smugglers were also arrested and handed to the judiciary, he added.

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

In a letter on Friday, Iran's Permanent Ambassador to the International Organizations in Vienna Kazem Gharibabadi pointed to the Islamic Republic’s leading role in the global fight against drug trafficking despite the US unilateral sanctions.

In a letter to Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Ghada Fathi Waly, Gharibabadi urged the United Nations and its member states to fulfill their responsibilities the fight against terrorism and recognize and support Iran’s activities in this regard.

He added that the Islamic Republic witnessed a 20% hike in busting illegal drugs last year in comparison to the previous year.

Director of Iran’s headquarters of the fight against narcotic drugs Eskandar Momeni had earlier noted that Iran has the least international support in its campaign against the drugs.

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

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