Iran marked the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Tuesday.

Iranian Prosecutor General Jafar Montazeri said at a ceremony held to mark the day in the capital Tehran that the regional countries, in particular Afghanistan, are the victims of drug abuse.

The production of narcotics in Afghanistan has risen since foreign forces entered the region, Montazeri said.

He called on the international community to help the Islamic republic fight trafficking of narcotics.

Iran said earlier that it was paying a heavy price in combating drug trafficking, and it had spent over 700 million U.S. dollars to fortify its borders.

Some 5,000 Iranian troop members have been killed in fighting with drug traffickers near the border areas and more had been injured.

Iran is located at the crossroad of international drug smuggling from Afghanistan, the world's top opium producer, to Europe. 
Source:XINHUA