TEHRAN Ministry of Intelligence in a statement issued Monday said the Iranian police had managed to dismantle a gigantic drug band involved in the illicit traffic in narcotics to the Persian Gulf littoral states.

According to the Public Relations Department of the ministry, undercover operations by the police in the provinces of Sistan-Baluchestan and Khuzestan resulted in localizing and dismantling of the leading drug band.

The drug convoy carried a huge drug shipments through provinces of Sistan-Baluchestan, Kerman, Hormozgan, Isfahan and Khuzestan when it was attacked by the police. 13 members of the band were arrested in the operation.

About 1,365kg of drugs (hashish) hidden inside a lorry were seized and the case was delivered to the judicial officials to undergo the legal proceedings.

Iran ranks first as for the seizure of opiates in the world.

Earlier, Secretary General of Kermanshah Province Anti-Narcotics Coordinating Committee Mohammad-Mahdi Famil-Shougi said over 757kg of drugs have been seized in the province last year (ended March 20).

He told IRNA that the haul included heroin, hashish, marijuana and opium. He said that 15 trafficking and distribution gangs were busted, 794 male and female traffickers apprehended and 960 addicts rounded up and handed to the judicial authorities.

He added that 37 vehicles, a large amount of cash and ammunition were also seized from the smugglers in the same period.

Iran is a major route for smuggling of drugs from Afghanistan and Pakistan to markets in the Persian Gulf, Europe and beyond. Opium, heroin, hashish and morphine are hauled through the country and single busts involving a ton or more of illicit drugs are not uncommon.

Statistics for 1999 cite 740 drug dealers and 174 Iranian police officers as having been killed in various encounters throughout the country, not to mention the tens of thousands whose lives are wrecked and those of their families because of drug addiction.

Secretary General of the Drug Control Headquarters (DCHQ) Mohammad Fallah said about 3,100 Iranian policemen have lost their lives in fighting against the international drug traffickers in recent years.

Iran has developed new programs and strategies to eradicate the drug problems. It has adopted key strategies to settle the drug dilemma.

In a meeting with Spanish director of national drug control program Gonzalo Robelz here, Fallah said that Iran has spent $900,000 to replace poppy cultivation with other cash crops in Afghanistan.

"If the European countries each allocate the spendings of medical services to help 300 drug addicts give up addiction to replace poppy cultivation with other crops in Afghanistan, a significant part of the drug production in Afghanistan will be removed," Fallah said.

He said that the high price of the drugs in Europe is encouraging the drug traffickers to transit drugs to Europe.

Meanwhile, Fallah said on Monday that 3,100 Iranian policemen have lost their lives in fighting against the international drug traffickers in recent years.

In a meeting with Spanish director of National Drug Control Program Gonzalo Robelz, Fallah said that Iran has spent $900,000 to replace poppy cultivation with other crops in Afghanistan.

Robelz said that Spain is willing to cooperate with Iran in campaign against drug trafficking and sharing experience with Iran in this respect.

He said that heroin is a very harmful drug which has contributed to spread of AIDS threatening the public health and security in Spain.

Robelz is heading a Spanish delegation to Iran comprising health officials and police officers as well as the Drug Control Program members.