Commander of the Border Guards of the Islamic Republic of Iran Police Brigadier-General Ahmad Ali Goudarzi said that the border guards of Sistan and Baluchestan province were informed about the activities of members of the professional drug trafficking gang in the border areas of Mirjaveh by conducting intelligence measures.
The smugglers, who were trying to transfer the consignment to the country at the right time, fled the scene when they found themselves ambushed and surrounded by police forces, he added.
According to the Goudarzi, in this operation, the border guards managed to seize 1,720 kg of various drugs, including 1,265 kg of opium, 234 kg of hashish, 98 kg of crystal, 80 kg of morphine and 43 kg of heroin, which were skillfully hidden under the plants of the plain.
Referring to another successful operation, he said that after several days of intelligence activities and operational planning, the border guards of Saravan confiscated 290 kilograms of various drugs, including 279 kilograms of opium and 11 kilograms of hashish in an armed clash with drug traffickers in the Esfandak border area.
The police chief of Sistan and Baluchistan province Second Brigadier General Ahmad Taheri also announced on Wednesday that the anti-narcotics police forces of Iranshahr, Zahedan, Zabol, Helmand, Hamoon and Chabahar, with the technical and intelligence support of the provincial anti-narcotics police, identified members of an organized drug-trafficking gang that intended to transfer narcotics to the center of the country.
During the operation, five smugglers were arrested and 243 kilograms of opium were seized, he added.
He went on to say that in another operation, police arrested five smugglers and seized 6 vehicles.
The police forces also confiscated 817 kilograms of opium and some weapons and ammunition.
Being a neighbor to the biggest producer of drugs in the world has caused the Islamic Republic of Iran to shoulder a heavy burden as one of the main routes for drug transport.
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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