International Deputy of Iran Drug Control Headquarters Nasser Aslani said on Saturday that 20542 kilograms of illegal drugs have been seized across the country during the last week.
The figure indicates a 45 percent increase compared to the corresponding period last year (14,121kg), he added.
The consignment consisted of 16,676 kg of opium, 2,293 kg of hashish, 650 kg of heroin, 624 kg of crystal, 107 kg of grass, 83 morphine, and 56 17 of other types of drugs, he said.
1655 smugglers have been arrested and 492 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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