TEHRAN – The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has praised Iran’s efforts to fight against narcotics trafficking, IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday.

Alexander Fedulov, UNODC's representative to Iran, made the remarks during a video conference held on Tuesday on the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, also known as 'World Drug Day', is celebrated annually on 26 June. The theme of World Drug Day 2020 is "Better Knowledge for Better Care."

The observance was instituted by General Assembly Resolution 42/112 of 7 December 1987.

The field of addressing the drug problem has been 'plagued' by the misinformation of many kinds. This year's theme aims at improving the understanding of the world drug problem and at fostering greater international cooperation for countering its impact on health, governance, and security.

According to UNODC's 2020 report, Iran made considerable efforts in drug seizure, as it confiscated 90 percent of opium, 26 percent of heroin, and 48 percent of morphine on the global scale, Fedulov said.

Drug use is a complex health and social problem worldwide, with half a million people dying each year as a result of drug abuse, he lamented, adding, drug use has entered a critical condition, and the international community is determined to tackle the global drug problem.

The conference was also attended by Iran's Drug Control Headquarters Secretary-General Eskandar Momeni, head of the Anti-Drug Committee of Iran's police force General Qassem Rezaei and deputy Attorney General Saeed Omrani.

Hossein Rahimi, a police chief, has said three gangs of international drug trafficking have been recently disbanded in the capital city of Tehran, and 27 dealers were arrested, over 1 ton of narcotics was discovered.

Since the beginning of this year (March 21), 163 international traffickers were arrested and 6 tons of drugs were seized, he noted, adding, police detections of drugs have increased by 25 percent compared to the same period last year.

FB/MG