Iran police seize over 2.5 tons of illicit drugs

Iran's border police seized more than 2.5 tons of illicit drugs in the operations along the country 's borders in the southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province, semi-official Fars news agency reported Saturday. Border police commander of Sistan and Baluchestan, Gholam-Nabi Kouhkan, said that his troops seized the drugs from several traffickers who intended to smuggle the narcotics into Iran through the country's border crossings. The narcotics, including opium and hashish, were discovered from drug traffickers in two separate operations, said the police commander without referring to the time of the seizure. Last week, Iran's drug combat squads seized more than 1.7 tons of illicit drugs in an operation in the central province of Yazd. Earlier this month, Iran hanged six men in the prison of Bam city in southern Kerman province, who were charged with smuggling 530 kg of different kinds of narcotics. On June 26, more than 100 tons of illicit drugs were burnt out in Iran on the occasion of the UN International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Iran is located at the crossroad of the international drug smuggling route from Afghanistan, the world's top opium producer, to Europe.