Police seize 2 huge cargos of narcotics in Southern Iran

Iran\'s provincial police squads seized 5.6 tons of different types of narcotics from two drug networks in the Southern Fars province. Fars province\'s Police Chief Sirous Sajjadian said that police started intelligence operations 25 days ago after receiving tips about the activities of a drug ring in the province. He said the police then started operational measures against the drug band and seized 1,300kg of hashish from the ring and arrested its members in an operation conducted four days ago. The commander said in a separate operation to disband another ring that had links with the first band the police seized 4.3 tons of opium and arrested 6 drug-traffickers. Sajjadian said that the seizure has increased the volume of police discoveries by 12% compared with the same period last year. 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. 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. 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.