TEHRAN: An Iranian anti-drug official announced that more than 17 tons of illicit drugs of various types have been seized in the past two weeks in different parts of the country.
Deputy Head of Iran’s Anti-Drug Headquarters Assadollah Hadinejad said a total volume of 17,221 kilograms of illicit drugs have been discovered and seized in the past two weeks, 67% of which was opium.
During the said period, 1391 kilograms of hashish, 1136 kilograms of morphine, 605 kilograms of drug precursors, 295 kilograms of heroin, and 47 kilograms of methamphetamine were seized, he noted.
Hadinejad further noted that the drugs were captured during 805 operations, explaining that an average of 21 kilograms of illicit drugs has been seized in each operation.
In recent decades, Iran has been hit by drug trafficking, mainly because of its 936-kilometer shared border with Afghanistan, which produces more than 90% of the world’s opium.
According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the Islamic Republic is netting eight times more opium and three times more heroin than all other countries in the world combined.
