TEHRAN (FNA)- Commander of the anti-narcotics squad of Iran�s Law Enforcement Police General Ali Moayyedi announced that his forces have seized several tons of illicit drugs in the current Iranian year (will end March 20) showing a considerable rise as compared with the previous year.


�We have seized 3 tons of crystal meth in the current year, which shows a 35 percent rise in comparison with the figures of the last year,� Moayyedi said

He also announced that his forces in cooperation with the UAE police have seized a cocaine consignment from South America, and said that a Bolivian national was also arrested in this connection.

General Moayyedi pointed to the sea route used by drug-traffickers, and said, �We will try to make the sea insecure for drug traffickers as well.�

Iran has recently established a central database and strengthened police-judiciary cooperation in a new effort to combat organized crime.

Every year, Iran burns more than 60 tons of seized narcotics as a symbol of its determination to fight drugs.

The Iranian police officials maintain that drug production in Afghanistan has undergone a 40-fold increase since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.

While Afghanistan produced only 185 tons of opium per year under the Taliban, according to the UN statistics, since the US-led invasion, drug production has surged to 3,400 tons annually. In 2007, the opium trade reached an estimated all-time production high of 8,200 tons.

By Fars News Agency

 

The Iran Project is not responsible for the content of quoted articles.