TEHRAN – The police forces of Zanjan Province have seized 123kg of illicit drugs, provincial police chief Rahim Jahanbakhsh said on Tuesday. 

The seizure took place in collaboration with the police forces of Ardebil Province, he said.

Jahanbakhsh said the police traced the haul of opium consignment in Zanjan province after comprehensive intelligence activities, Mehr reported.

Four smugglers were also arrested during the operation, he said.

The Islamic Republic has been actively fighting drug-trafficking over the past three decades, despite its high economic and human costs. 

The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 Iranian police officers over the past four decades. 

The country has spent more than hundreds of millions of dollars on sealing its borders and preventing the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.

MH/PA