TEHRAN: Iranian intelligence forces have managed to seize more than 4,000 kilograms of illicit drug precursors in the southern province of Hormozgan, the head of the Intelligence Organization of the province announced.
Following measures taken by the intelligence forces, more than 4 tons of precursor chemicals used to produce illegal synthetic and natural drugs were seized with the cooperation of judicial authorities in the province, the head of the Hormozgan Intelligence Organization said on Friday.
The drug precursors had been imported into the country from China and Taiwan under the guise of two containers filled with second-hand spare parts for cars and materials used for industrial cooling, the official noted.
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 three 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 34 years.
