Iran at forefront of fight against narcotics in world
Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Kazem Gharibabadi underlined Iran's considerable efforts in the counter-narcotic war, saying more than 1,147 tons of drugs were discovered in Iran in 2020.
In a letter addressed to the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Gharibabadi criticized the inaction of the relevant international organizations and countries in their joint responsibility to support counter-narcotics programs and called for reforming this non-action approach.
He noted that the selfless efforts of the Iranian soldiers and law enforcement officers at the borders and inside the country have put the country at the forefront of the fight against drug trafficking.
Some 1,147 tons of various types of narcotics were seized in 2020, which included opium (916 tons), heroin (31 tons), morphine (27 tons), cannabis (107 tons), and methamphetamine (20 tons), he further noted.
He emphasized that Iran's anti-narcotic agents had 2,851 armed clashes with drug traffickers in 2020, resulting in the destruction and disintegration of 2,196 gangs and the transit distribution network.
Ten Iranian police personnel were also martyred in the clashes with drug traffickers in 2020, Gharibabadi said.
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