An armed drug-trafficking band that was trying to transfer a drug consignment from Saravan county to central provinces of the country was identified by anti-narcotics police forces of Sistan and Baluchistan province, Brigadier General Ahmad Taheri said.

Taheri noted that during an intelligence operation 1 smuggler was arrested and 1.1 tons of narcotics including 972 kg of opium and 130 kg of hashish seized by the police forces.

Being a neighbor to the biggest producer of drugs in the world has caused the Islamic Republic of Iran to shoulder a heavy burden as one of the main routes for drug transport.

Iran is at the forefront of the fight against drug trafficking and thousands of Iranian forces have been so far martyred to protect the world from the danger of drugs. Despite high economic and human costs, the Islamic Republic has been actively fighting drug trafficking over the past decades.

Iran has spent more than $700 million on sealing its borders and preventing the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab, and Central Asian countries.

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