Walnut Smuggled In From US, Chile, Bulgaria

Most of the walnuts in Iran’s domestic markets are smuggled from the US, Chile and Bulgaria, the secretary of the Union of Food Wholesalers said.
“Walnuts have been smuggled from the US over the past 10 years, but gradually, due to the proximity of Chilean and American farms, walnut smuggling from Chile also flourished and was welcomed in Iran due to its good quality,” Qasemali Hassani was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency. 
Smuggling began from Bulgaria a few years ago, he added.
Import of walnuts to Iran is prohibited.
According to the official, American and Chilean walnuts are first dispatched to Dubai and then reexported to Iranian ports, but Bulgarian walnuts enter Turkey and then arrive in Iran by land.
Iranian walnuts are relatively smaller in size and often have more waste, so smuggled walnuts are very popular in the market.