/ 1
Zahedan, Sept 10, IRNA – The drug combat squads of the Police Force have seized over 1,200 kilograms of illicit drugs in two fresh operations in the Southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan, a senior police commander said.
'The police forces in two separate clashes with the drug traffickers the cities of Saravan, Sib and Souran seized over 1.2 tons of narcotics from the drug traffickers,' Commander of Sistan and Balouchestan Police Brigadier General Hossein Rahimi told reporters on Thursday.
He noted that upon receiving intelligence tips on relocation of considerable amount of narcotics from Islamabad to Dahan a joint team of police from Saravan and Sib Souran were dispatched to the region.
'As soon as seeing the police officers, they drug traffickers started shooting at them and they were trying to escape, but the police siege prevented them from doing so and the drug traffickers left behind their vehicle packed with illicit drugs, weapons and ammunitions,' Brigadier General Rahimi added.
'The police forces discovered and seized 712 kilograms of opium and 312 kilograms of morphine together with rifles and ammunition from the drug traffickers.
He also briefed the reporters on another clash between police and drug traffickers in Dahane Ab Anar of Saravan region while the drug traffickers were storing narcotics, and said, 'The armed clashes between police and drug traffickers lasted one hour and the police seized 220 kilograms of illicit drugs from the drug traffickers.
Iran's Southeastern borders, specially Sistan and Balouchestan province, has become insecure with the for drug traffickers due to the powerful presence of border guards and police forces.
Pakistan along with Afghanistan are two main sources of producing and trafficking of various types of narcotic in the region.
The anti-drug squads of the Iranian Law Enforcement Police have intensified their countrywide campaign against drug-trafficking through staging long-term systematic operations since 2010.
The Iranian anti-narcotic police have always staged periodic, but short-term, operations against drug traffickers and dealers, but the latest reports - which among others indicate an improved and systematic dissemination of information - reveal that the world's most forefront and dedicated anti-narcotic force (as UN drug-campaign assessments put it) has embarked on a long-term countrywide plan to crack down on the drug trade since five years ago.