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TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli underlined the country's efforts and pioneering role in campaign against illicit drugs, and said Iran is in war on drugs on behalf of other world nations.
Rahmani Fazli, also Secretary-General of Iran's Drug Campaign Council, made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of an international anti-drug forum attended by representatives of 11 regional countries.
Rahmani Fazli pointed to Iran’s fight against drug trafficking, particularly at its lengthy border with Afghanistan, and said Iran has not received any international help although it represents all countries in the ongoing fight against drug traffickers.
He further pointed to the security measures adopted by the Islamic Republic to counter drug smuggling near the Afghan border, and said, “We are extremely concerned that the money gained from drug sales is used for sponsoring extremism."
He said Iran sees campaign against drug trafficking as its duty and it has succeeded so far. "Fight against narcotics is a regional and international problem and its needs international cooperation," he added.
According to World Drug Report 2013 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Iran accounted for the highest rate of opium seizures (80 percent) as well as heroin seizures (30 percent) in the world last year.
According to official estimates, Iran's battle against drugs cost the country around $1 billion annually. Strategies pursued by Tehran include digging canals, building barriers and installing barbed wire to seal the country's borders, specially in the East.
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.
