Police seizes large cargo of narcotics in central Iran

Iranian law enforcement forces have seized over 1.2 tons of narcotics in a single checkpoint operation in the country's Central province of Yazd, Commander of the Law Enforcement Police Forces of Yazd Province Manouchehr Amanollahi said, Fars News Agency reported on Monday.

"Over one ton of illicit-drugs was discovered and seized in Shahid Madani police station in the town of Mehriz," Amanollahi said.

He said the seizure included 1,224kg of various types of narcotics, mostly opium.

The commander said three drug-traffickers were smuggling the cargo from Zahedan, the provincial capital city of Sistan and Balouchestan province in Southeastern Iran, to the country's central city of Isfahan.

Amanollahi said that police started chasing suspects after they ignored police orders to stop at the checkpoint.

"One of them (drug-traffickers) was killed in the operation and two others managed to escape in the dark," the commander stated, adding that police have adopted the necessary measures to arrest the two fugitives.

Iran is on a crossroad of international drug transit route linking the world drug hub, Afghanistan, to the Persian Gulf and European countries.

Iran spends billions of dollars and has lost thousands of its police troops in the war against traffickers. Iran also adopted measures to strengthen border security and block the entry of terrorists and drug traffickers into the country.

Strategies pursued by Tehran include digging canals, building barriers and installing barbed wire to seal its borders.

Due to these and similar measures adopted by Iran's law enforcement police, the country makes 89 percent of the world's total opium seizures, although the battle against drug-traffickers has inflicted a rather heavy human loss on the country's police squad. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the country has lost more than 3700 of its security forces in its war on drug-traffickers.


/Trend/