UN Official: Iran Well-Equipped in War on Drugs

Deputy Chief of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Branimir Bratonov hailed Iranian law enforcement police squad for their relentless efforts in combating drug-trafficking, and said despite the West’s sanctions, Iran’s police troop is well equipped for fighting drug-traffickers.

Bratonov, who is also Bulgaria’s representative in counternarcotics affairs, made the remarks in a meeting with Commander of the anti-narcotics squad of Iran’s Law Enforcement Police General Ali Moayyedi in Tehran on Tuesday.

“Despite sanctions, Iran has, in fact, no shortage of equipment for fighting and confronting the narcotics,” he said, praising Iran’s achievements in the war on drugs.

“I believe that one of the achievements of these meetings should be finding ways to supply the equipment needed for controlling Iranian borders, although my studies and also what I have heard of the Iranian officials indicate that Iran has managed to have a serious and efficient combat against drugs despite the short supply of equipment” Bratonov said.
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 89 percent of the world’s total opium seizures and has turned into the leading country in drug campaign.

The Iranian police officials maintain that drug production in Afghanistan has undergone a 40-fold increase since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.

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 12 years ago.