Iran’s spending 11% of its GDP on fighting drugs

“It is estimated that 11% of GDP is spent directly and indirectly on the fight against drugs,” he told YJC News Agency on Wednesday.

Direct costs include those associated with providing facilities and systems for borders and indirect costs are related to social factors such as job opportunities that have been jeopardized due to using drugs.

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.

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.

MNA/YJC7193230