Iran to Set Fire to over 1 Ton of Illicit Drugs in Southern Province

Over 1 ton of illicit drugs will be set on fire in Iran’s Southern Bushehr province to mark the international day of drug campaign on June 26, a provincial police commander announced on Tuesday.
“Concurrent with the UN International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26, one ton of narcotics, including hashish, crystal, etc., will be set on fire in Bushehr coast,” Commander of Bushehr’s Law Enforcement Forces General Heydar Abbaszadeh told FNA.

He noted that Bushehr’s law enforcement police managed to seize more than 1 ton of narcotics from 70 drug gangs during last Iranian year (ended March 20)

Iran is slated to commemorate the UN International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26.

More than 100 tons of narcotics will be burnt in Tehran province and 16 other provinces on the occasion of the UN International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (June 26).

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 81 percent of the world’s total opium seizures and has turned into the leading country in drug campaign.

Sistan and Balouchestan province, where Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan come together, has porous borders, where bandits and drug traffickers operate despite frequent entanglements and intense efforts of the Iranian law enforcement police.

More than 3,720 Iranian security personnel have been killed fighting drug smugglers since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

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

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