What we receive as part of the international assistance is less than one percent of the total number that we spent in terms of human and material losses. The international community, especially European countries, which are the destinations for drug trafficking should contribute more and join Iran's efforts to fight this deadly phenomenon”, Brigadier General Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam said on Thursday.
He made the remarks at a conference in Tehran, wherein Iranian anti-narcotics police commanders gathered to discuss new ways to tackle drugs smuggling.
“As a result of Iran's continuous fight against drug trafficking on land, drug smugglers have turned to alternative routes like the sea, but Iranian police forces are controlling those borders as well,” added Ahmadi-Moqaddam.
With a 900-kilometer (560-mile) common border with Afghanistan, Iran has been used as the main conduit for smuggling Afghan drugs to narcotics kingpins in Europe.
Afghanistan continues to account for 90 percent of the world's illicit opium and heroin production, according to the UN.
The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 3,700 Iranian police officers over the past 30 years.
Iran has spent more than $700 millions to seal the borders and prevent the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.
Iran blames the growing drug trafficking from Afghanistan to the rest of the world on foreign military presence in the war-ravaged country.
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The Iranian police chief has called on the international community, the European countries in particular, to join Iran's efforts to fight against drug trafficking, Press TV reports.
News ID 181456
