Police seize over 1 ton of narcotics in eastern city in 48 hours

Iran's Law Enforcement police squads have seized two huge cargos of narcotics in the city of Nahbandan, one of the main cities of Iran's Eastern province of South Khorassan, in the past 48 hours, a provincial police commander announced. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, South Khorassan's Police Chief General Ahmad Ali Goudarzi said that the two drug cargos included a total volume of 1,168kg of different types of narcotics. Goudarzi added that police forces have also arrested 47 individuals in relation to the two seized cargos. The commander further announced that Law Enforcement Police forces have discovered and seized 24.5 tons of narcotics during the last 9 months since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21-December 21), adding that the figure shows a 16% increase compared with the same period last year. 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 leads international efforts in fighting drug networks and narcotic traffickers. 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. The United Nations credits Iran with the seizure of 80 percent of the opium netted around the world.