Secretary-General of Iran’s Drugs Control Headquarters General Eskandar Momeni made the announcement on Tuesday, saying that 950 tons of narcotics were seized in the country last year, which is unprecedented in the history of Iran and in the world, and Iran had the highest confiscation last year.
In Afghanistan, however, less than 300 tons of narcotics have been discovered, he added.
About 74 percent of drug discoveries were due to intelligence measures, and more than 76 percent of drug confiscations were in the east of the country, Momeni said, adding that all of these measures have been taken while Iran has been under sanctions.
Iran has been able to have the highest drug confiscation even in sanctions conditions, he noted.
International Deputy of Iran Drug Control Headquarters Nasser Aslani said on April 23 that some 17,765 kilograms of illicit drugs consisting of 15,339 kilograms of opium and 1,186 kilograms of hashish, 428 kilograms of heroin, 577 kilograms of crystal, 53 kilograms of grass, 67 kilograms of morphine, and 116 kilograms of other kinds of drugs have been confiscated by police forces across the country in the last week.
Based on the United Nations reports, Afghanistan ranks first as the producer of opium and heroin in the world. Iran, being Afghanistan's neighbor, has always been the main route for smuggling narcotics to the Western world.
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.
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/FNA 13990209000239
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