Police Seize over 1 Ton of Drugs in Southern Province of Iran

Provincial police squads of Iran\'s Law Enforcement forces discovered and seized 1,096kg of different types of narcotics in a week of operations in the Southern Fars province.Fars province\'s Police Chief Sirous Sajjadian said that the seizures included 900kg of opium, 140kg of hashish 52kg of heroin and 4kg of other types of narcotics. The commander said that police forces also disbanded 3 drug rings and arrested 22 drug-traffickers and dealers during the said period. In September, Sajjadian said Iran\'s Law Enforcement Police squads have seized nearly 12.5 tons of different types of narcotics in the province during the last 6 months. \"During the last six months, 12,449kg of narcotics has been discovered and seized in Fars province,\" Sajjadian stated. The commander announced that police had also arrested 1,598 drug-traffickers and dealers from March 21 to September 16, 2011, and added that the figure showed a 78% increase compared with the same period last year. The Iranian police measures along the Eastern borders have forced drug-traffickers to resort to other routes, including the Sea of Oman and the Persian Gulf, for smuggling their drug cargos which originate in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Iran, located at the crossroad of international drug smuggling from Afghanistan to Europe, has taken new security measures in its border provinces following several attacks by terrorists and drug traffickers at its Eastern and Western borders. According to the statistical figures released by the UN, Iran ranks first among the world countries in preventing entry of drugs and decreasing demand for narcotics.