Tehran, Iran, Jan. 12
By Mehdi Sepahvand – Trend:
Iran seized 420 tons of narcotics and arrested 180,000 smugglers in the first nine months of the current Iranian fiscal year, which started March 21, said Iran Narcotics Police Chief Ali Moayedi.
He said the amount of 420 tons suggests a 20-percent rise in the seized drugs as compared to the same period last year, IRNA news agency reported Jan. 12.
“During that period, 2,000 smuggler gangs were crushed,” he added, noting that 42 armed smugglers and two policemen were killed in the meantime.
Moayedi also said the police conducted 1,500 anti-drug operations in the mentioned period.
To the east, Iran is neighbor with Afghanistan, the globally known source for cultivation, processing, and export of drugs.
Iran has occasionally criticized international bodies for scanty help with fighting drugs.
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