The head of the anti-narcotics police has criticized the Majlis rulings in the previous year which make penalties for drug traffickers less harsh. Brigadier General Ali Moayeddi said in a televised interview that lawmakers should in fact toughen penalties for drug crimes, ISNA reported. He added that fighting ‘’drug transit’’ at any level would be the top priority for the police. He acknowledged that ‘’poverty’’ and ‘’unemployment’’ play pivotal roles in abetting crime, and said, “as long as these problems persist, the drug problems will not go away.” Last year, MPs introduced legislation to end death penalties for some drug offences which prompted heated debate among experts and officials.
