In order to control and guard the borders of the Islamic Republic of Iran and deal decisively with any drug trafficking, the border guards gathered intelligence on the activities of a drug band in Saravan county, said Brigadier-General Ahmad Ali Goudarzi on Monday.
Border guards carried out extensive intelligence operations, identified the smugglers' traffic routes, as well as the planned time for transferring narcotics to the central parts of the country, he added.
The smugglers tried to smuggle the drugs into the country by a vehicle, but found themselves in an ambush and siege by officers and eventually fled, Goudarzi noted.
According to Goudarzi, during the operation, the border guards managed to seize 945 kilograms of various drugs, including 885 kilograms of opium and 60 kilograms of hashish.
Referring to two other successful operations by the border guards of Chabahar and Mirjavah, he said that after several days of intelligence activities, the border guards of Chabahar in an armed clash with drug traffickers on the shores of the protected area, seized a vehicle, a vessel and arrested 2 smugglers, in addition to confiscation of 521 kilograms of hashish.
Also, in another operation, the border guards of Mirjavah managed to seize 240 kilograms of various drugs, including 205 kilograms of hashish and 35 kilograms of morphine, he said, adding that in this regard, 3 smugglers have been arrested.
Iran is at the forefront of the fight against drug trafficking and thousands of Iranian forces have been so far martyred to protect the world from the danger of drugs. Despite high economic and human costs, the Islamic Republic has been actively fighting drug trafficking over the past decades.
Iran has spent more than $700 million on sealing its borders and preventing the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab, and Central Asian countries.
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