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Crackdown on Meth Labs

Crackdown on Meth Labs
Crackdown on Meth Labs

Iran police seized 15.5 tons of drugs in the capital Tehran during the past year (ended March 20) in addition to identifying and closing numerous meth laboratories.

Tehran’s counter-drug police chief Col. Mohammad Bakhshandeh had stated that opium and hash comprised the majority of the narcotics, adding that clearing drug-infested areas in the city is high on the agenda in the new Iranian year (started March 21).

The counter-drug police of Tehran have four major missions; identifying and arresting smuggling gangs, purging drug-infested areas of the city, identifying meth labs, and removing drug users off the city streets, according to ISNA. Police forces continuously screen all city entries to nip any smuggling operations in the bud.

In another endeavor, 180 addicts causing disturbances to local residents were arrested by the counter-drug police and taken to Akhavan rehabilitation center (located in Malard city in Tehran Province).

The police have also started holding educational courses in schools and local communities to help raise public awareness on dealing with the rampant problem.

According to Bakhshandeh, Tehran’s counter-drug police have accurate information on “drug dealing spots” in the city; however, the inadequate and improper state of rehabilitation centers in Tehran drives addicts back to city streets and slums.

 Rehabilitation

Nearly 130 drug dealers or users are rounded up from the metropolis per day and “the forces are capable of locating and rounding off every single drug user provided that ample capacity is created in rehabilitation camps or institutions to take them in,” he said.

Shafagh Camp – mandated by the government for arrested drug users – will soon reopen with 1000 beds after it was shut down due to its dreadful non-standards in terms of health and hygiene, and mistreatment of patients. Also, another camp with a capacity of 10,000 beds will open in Fashapuyeh district in Rey county, Tehran Province.  

The police also screen virtual space but believe that news reports on drug dealings online “are exaggerated” and it is not so prevalent.

The fight against drugs annually costs Iran about $1 billion, according to official estimates. Statistics also say there are currently two million drug users in the country.

Financialtribune.com