Chief of Sistan and Baluchestan Border Guards Second Brigadier General Mohammad Mollashahi made the announcement on Saturday, saying that the border guards gathered intelligence on the activities of a drug band at the Jaleq border and found out that the smugglers had plans to transfer the consignment from the southeastern regions to the country.
The border guards carried out a series of specialized actions and surrounded the smugglers in Saravan, he added, saying that the smugglers started shooting at border guards when they found themselves ambushed and surrounded by them.
He noted that during the operation, 773 kg of various types of drugs including 495 kilograms of opium and 278 kilograms of hashish have been confiscated.
According to the Sistan and Baluchestan border commander, the border guards also managed to seize 248 kilograms of opium in another operation in addition to the arrest of 2 smugglers.
Being a neighbour 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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