Irans Border Guard Commander Brigadier General Ghasem Rezaie said on Sunday that following comprehensive intelligence operations, the police border guards identified a smuggling gang near the borders of the province which was planning to transfer illegal drugs to the European countries through Mirjaveh borders.

Some 2.263 tons of illicit drugs consisting of 1.881 tons of opium and 348 kilograms of hashish, 70 kilograms morphine, 309 kilograms crystal and 15 kilograms of other types drugs have been busted during the clash between the police border guards and the gang during the operation in addition to confiscation of a large number of weapons and ammunition, he added.

The smugglers fled to the highlands of the area using the darkness of the night, he said.

Based on the United Nations reports, Afghanistan ranks first as the producer of opium and heroin in the world. Iran, being Afghanistan's neighbor, has always been the main route for smuggling narcotics to the Western world.

The Islamic Republic has been actively fighting drug-trafficking over the past three decades, despite its high economic and human costs. The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 Iranian police officers over the past four decades. The country has spent more than hundreds of millions of dollars on sealing its borders and preventing the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.

MNA/ 4879078

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Over 2 tons of narcotics siezed in Irans Mirjaveh - Mehr News Agency - English Version