TEHRAN – The United States, along with other major crimes committed in Afghanistan, has caused just as much damage in the field of narcotics, as the production of drugs has reached 9,500 tons in recent years, Eskandar Momeni, the director of headquarters for the fight against narcotics, said on Tuesday.

According to figures released by the United Nations in 2000, Afghanistan produced about 200 tons of narcotics, but in recent years it has grown to 9,500 tons.

In the meantime, there has been an increase in the production of methamphetamine, which requires special science and technology that can only be provided by the United States, he lamented.

Another U.S. crime in Afghanistan was the increase in the country’s drug users, he said, adding, drug consumption has tripled in the last decade, so the United States has left a deep scar in Afghanistan and the region.

“We also have documented reports that NATO planes themselves are transiting drugs,” he noted.

Expressing concern over the increase in the production of methamphetamine in the region, he stressed that “this issue has a negative impact on the confrontation, treatment and prevention of narcotics in the country, and this situation should be predicted in programs and scenarios.”

Iran is the leading country in the fight against narcotics worldwide; despite its proximity to Afghanistan, which is the largest producer of narcotics, he explained.

According to the UN Office, the Islamic Republic's continuous efforts to combat narcotics trafficking came up with the seizure of more than 90 percent of opium, 70 percent of morphine, and 20 percent of world heroin.

‘Common understanding, global action’

Iranian deputy anti-narcotics police chief Naqi Mahmoudi has stressed that the drug trafficking fight requires a common understanding and action by all members of the international community, and no country alone can address the challenges in this area.

Despite the conditions caused by the coronavirus outbreak and the imposition of harsh sanctions against the country, fortunately, with the efforts of anti-narcotics police in 2020, drug detection increased by 41 percent.

After the Islamic Revolution (in 1979), 3,800 were martyred, 12,000 were wounded and disabled in the fight against drug trafficking.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has praised Iran’s efforts to fight against narcotics trafficking on the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

The organization also officially announced that the world’s first place in the discovery of opium, heroin, and morphine belongs to Iran.

According to UNODC, Iran remains one of the major transit routes for drug trafficking from Afghanistan to European countries and has had a leading role at the global level in drug-control campaigns.

UNODC World Drug Report 2020 estimates that in 2018, 91 percent of world opium, 48 percent of the world morphine, and 26 percent of the world heroin were seized by Iran.

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