Interior Minister: Drug Traffickers Can No More Transit Cargos Via Iran

Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli appreciated Iran’s dedicated drug-combat forces for their successful efforts, saying drug traffickers can no more transit their drug caravans through Iran as a result of the same efforts.
“Due to the efforts of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s border guards and security forces, drug-transiting in the form of caravans is no more seen at the country’s Eastern borders,” Rahmani Fazli said on Monday.

The Iranian interior minister reiterated that due to the tight border controls exercised by the Iranian law enforcement police, penetrations by drug smugglers have been reduced to a minimum level all along the Sistan and Balouchestan province’s 1,578-kilometer long border with neighboring Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Last month, Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Helen Clark underlined that the world states must appreciate Tehran for its unsparing efforts in campaign against drug trafficking.

Speaking at meeting with the Iranian interior minister in Tehran, Clark praised Iran’s cooperation with the UN in countering narcotics and called on the international community to appreciate Iran for its commitment to combating drugs and the heavy losses inflicted on the country.

Also last month, Rahmani Fazli, who also is the Head of the country’s Anti-Narcotics Headquarters, called on the world states to boost their cooperation with Tehran in the combat on drug trafficking in a bid to decrease and stop transit of narcotics.

“At present, the Islamic Republic of Iran is alone in bearing the heavy responsibility of fighting against the transit of drugs from its origin, Afghanistan, to the world and has paid heavy financial and spiritual costs and a large number of our security and police forces have been martyred and injured to this end,” Rahmani Fazli said at the time.

He called on the international community to increase its cooperation with Tehran in a bid to prevent the transit of drugs from Afghanistan to the other parts of the globe. “To get a good result, all the world states should step onto the scene of this campaign and show responsibility and contribute a role in this scene.”

The Iranian interior minister cautioned that drug-traffickers are making an increasing use of waterways due to the Iranian police’s tight control over land borders, “and we are equipping our operational forces in a more appropriate way in an attempt to have a tougher campaign against this phenomenon”.

Iran lies on a major drug route between Afghanistan and Europe, as well as, the Persian Gulf states.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Iranian police have lost nearly 4,000 of their personnel in the country’s combat against narcotics.

Iran spends billions of dollars and has lost thousands of its police troops in the war against traffickers.

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

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