He made the remarks addressing a video conference held by Interpol on "Production and trafficking of methamphetamine in Afghanistan and its market in the world" in a bid to boost regional and international cooperation against drug smuggling.
"Despite the conditions caused by the outbreak of the Coronavirus and the imposition of oppressive sanctions against Iran, fortunately in 2020, Iran witnessed a 41 percent increase in drug detections," he said.
He added that the Islamic Republic has always tried to prevent the entry and transit of narcotics from the eastern borders to the Balkans.
The Iranian official noted that by the present time, 3,800 Iranian forces have been martyred in combat against narcotics trafficking.
He underscored that combating drug trafficking requires a common understanding and cooperation among all members of the international community and that no country is able to address the challenges and problems in this area by itself.
He expressed concern that considering the growth in production in Afghanistan, the volume of methamphetamine confiscation in the years before 2018 averaged between 2,000 kg to 3,0000 kg but in recent years, especially in 2019 and 2020, the volume has reached over 12,000 to 15,000 kilograms in Iran.
Representatives from Afghanistan, Indonesia, Tanzania, Australia, Maldives, UAE, South Africa, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and the EU took part in the held video conference.
HJ/FNA14000302000336
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