TEHRAN, June 23 (NNN-IRNA) – Three international drug trafficking gangs were disbanded, in Iran’s capital city of Tehran, Police Commander, Hossein Rahimi, said on Monday.
In the police operation, over 1,000 kg of narcotics were seized, and 27 illicit drug traffickers were arrested, Rahimi was quoted as saying.
Rahimi said that Iran is always in danger of importing illicit drugs to the country, because of its proximity to Afghanistan.
After the presence of NATO forces in Afghanistan, illicit drug plantation grow several folds in the war-torn country, Rahimi was quoted as saying.
A total of 163 international drug traffickers have been arrested in Iran since Mar 21, and six tonnes of drugs have been seized, he noted.
The seizure of drugs by the Iranian police since Mar 21, increased by 25 percent compared with the same period last year, Rahimi added.
Over the past few decades, Iran’s eastern and southeastern borders have seen deadly clashes between Iranian security forces and armed drug smugglers.
