Over two tons of illicit drugs was discovered in two operations in the southeastern regions, a police officer said on Thursday. Iranian police forces in Saravan and Iranshahr, in a series of operations while fighting drugs traffickers sized 2.6 tons of drugs, said General Mohammad Qanbari, police chief in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, IRNA reported. Close to 1.48 tons of opium, as well as a number of weapons including a Kalashnikov, 2 cartridges, and 62 bullets, were seized and four traffickers arrested, Qanbari said. Another drug smuggling cell was busted in Delgan district of the province, said the police official. As the result of the operation, two drug traffickers were detained, with 207 kilograms of opium, 362kg of marijuana and 15kg of heroin, according to the police commander. Some weapons were also seized.
Iran is a main transit route for moving heroin and opium to western markets from Afghanistan, where opium production has soared since the 2001 downfall of the Taliban.
Thousands of Iranian police and security forces have been killed in drug-related operations since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
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