3 Iranian Police Officers Killed in Clashes with Armed Drug Dealers

In an attack carried out by armed drug smugglers on a checkpoint in Iran’s southeastern border city of Khash in Sistan and Balouchestan Province, three law enforcement officers were martyred, the provincial police chief announced on Wednesday.

Brigadier General Hossein Rahimi confirmed the attack on the checkpoint by a group of culprits and the martyrdom of three policemen, expressing deep sorrow over the tragic incident.

He added that another police officer has been injured in the attack.

General Rahimi said efforts are underway to arrest the armed group, adding that his forces will fight “until the last drop of blood” to defend Iran’s territorial integrity and security.

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.

The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 3,700 Iranian police officers over the past three decades.