International Deputy of Iran Drug Control Headquarters Nasser Aslani made the announcement on Tuesday, saying that some 16,322 kilograms of illicit drugs consisting of 12,864 kilograms of opium and 2,383 kilograms of hashish, 506 kilograms of crystal, 271 kilograms morphine, 186 kilograms of heroin, 70 kilograms of grass, and 45 kilograms of other kinds of drugs have been confiscated by police forces across the country in the last week.
The figure indicates a 20 percent decline compared to the corresponding period last year, he added.
3,369 smugglers have been arrested and 394 vehicles and some ammunition seized in the same period by police forces, Aslani said.
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.
Based on reports, near 15 tons of drugs have been confiscated in several operations in Sistan and Baluchestan since the beginning of May.
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.
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