Tasnim � The anti-narcotics police forces of Iran�s southern provinces of Bushehr and Hormozgan, in a joint operation, have managed to capture 650 kilograms of opium, a provincial police chief announced on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters in the southwestern port city of Asalouyeh on Saturday, Bushehr Province Police Commander Brigadier General Khalil Vaezi said the Law Enforcement Force prioritizes the fight against drug dealers, working on a round-the-clock basis, and this has led to an insecure atmosphere in Iran for the smugglers.

Following the intelligence activities of the police forces a major drug ring was identified and destroyed in a joint operation by the anti-narcotic police forces of Bushehr and Hormozgan, the commander said.

During the operation, he added, the forces seized a vehicle belonging to the drug ring and captured 27 packages of opium, weighing 655 kilograms in total.

Iran, which has a 900-kilometer common border with Afghanistan, has been used as the main conduit for smuggling Afghan drugs to narcotics kingpins in Europe.

Despite high economic and human costs, the Islamic Republic has been actively fighting drug-trafficking over the past decades.

The country has spent more than $700 million on sealing its borders and preventing the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.

The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 Iranian police officers over the past four decades.