Iranian police kill 3 drug smugglers

Iranian police killed three drug smugglers during an armed encounter in the country's southeastern province of Kerman near the city of Qaleh Ganj on July 8, the city's police commander, Ali Parang said.

Police seized over 1016 kilograms of opium and 37 kilograms of hashish from the smugglers during the operation, the police commander said, Iran ’s official IRNA news agency reported.

One hand grenade, three Kalashnikov guns as well as one Grinov machine gun were seized from the smugglers, the police commander added.

Parang further said that two of the smugglers were arrested as well during the police operation.

Iran is situated on a major drug route between Afghanistan and Europe, as well as the Gulf States. The Islamic Republic shares about 900 kilometers of common border with Afghanistan, over which 74 percent of opium is smuggled.

It was reported that some 490 metric tons of drugs were seized in the country during the last fiscal year (ended on March 20).

The fight against drugs annually costs Iran about $1 billion, according to the official estimates. The statistics also say there are about two million drug users in Iran.

/By Trend/