Commander Praises Iran’s Eye-Catching Progress in War on Drugs

Commander of the anti-narcotics squad of Iran’s Law Enforcement Police General Ali Moayyedi said that the Islamic Republic of Iran has made an eye-catching progress in combating drug trafficking and narcotics after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

“Due to the laws and suitable infrastructures formed in the Islamic Republic of Iran after the revolution, the Islamic Republic has gained unique achievements in this field,” General Moayyedi said, addressing the opening ceremony of the Drug Laboratory of Tehran’s Police on Sunday.

He noted that the Law Enforcement Police have taken big strides and practical steps in combating drug trafficking and narcotics.

Earlier this month, UN Undersecretary General and Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Yuri Fedotov praised Iran’s anti-narcotics efforts, and stressed that Iran is among the leading countries in the campaign against illicit drugs.

Fedotov said that in all reports and assessments of the UN we underlined that Iran had played the most effective role in fight against traffickers and discovery of drugs and Iran has paid a great deal of expenses and gained precious experience in this concern.

According to the UNODC, these days, 93 percent of the world’s opium is produced in the neighboring Afghanistan, 60 per cent of which is destined for the EU and specially US markets, and the main transit route is Iran, where the country’s dedicated police squad risk their lives to make the most discoveries of drug cargoes, disband drug-trafficking gangs and organizations and much more in a bid to rescue not only the Iranian youth but also all those living in Europe and the US.

Iran has always complained about the EU and other international bodies’ lack of serious cooperation with Iran in the campaign against drug trafficking from Afghanistan.

The UNODC Opium Survey 2011 reported that despite increased efforts to combat poppy harvests, rising prices and growing demand boosted cultivation by seven per cent in 2010, spreading to new regions of Afghanistan.

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.

Afghan and western officials blame Washington and NATO for the change, saying that allies have “overlooked” the drug problem since invading the country 10 years ago.

Eastern Iran borders Afghanistan, which is the world’s number one opium and drug producer. Iran’s geographical position has made the country a favorite transit corridor for drug traffickers who intend to smuggle their cargoes from Afghanistan to drug dealers in Europe.

Iran spends billions of dollars and has lost thousands of its police troops in the war against traffickers. Owing to its rigid efforts, Iran makes 85 percent of the world’s total opium seizures and has turned into the leading country in drug campaign.

The anti-drug squads of the Iranian Law Enforcement Police have intensified their countrywide campaign against drug-trafficking through staging long-term systematic operations for the last three years.