Ghanbari said that police forces of Iranshahr County, in collaboration with anti-narcotics police forces of Sistan and Balouchestan province, identified a smuggling gang that was trying to transfer opioid consignment from the border areas to the central parts of Iran.
He added that following an armed clash between the police and the smugglers, the police forces arrested two of the drug traffickers while seizing 1,189kg opium, 10kg crystal, and a number of weapons and ammunition.
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.
According to reports, in 2018 alone, Iranian forces carried out 1,557 operations against drug traffickers, seizing approximately 807 tons of different types of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
ZZ/4984304