TEHRAN – Majid Karimi, the chief of the Iranian anti-narcotics police, and Satya Narayan Pradhan, the director-general of the Indian Narcotics Control Bureau, discussed further counter-narcotics cooperation.

In a meeting on Tuesday in Tehran, Narayan Pradhan welcomed the development of cooperation with the Iranian anti-narcotics police and call for a memorandum of cooperation, as well as exchanging information in the field of counter-narcotics.

The growing narcotics production and its numerous problems due to the shared border with Afghanistan and Pakistan further clarify the need for constructive interaction between the two countries.

Karimi for his part said that the geographical location of Iran on the Balkan route, linking Afghanistan to Iran, then passing through Turkey, represents the shortest distance and most direct land route to European countries, has always caused Iran to deal with drug trafficking.

Iran has achieved good results in narcotics seizure, as discovered 1,100 tons of drugs in 2021 and 230 tons in the first four months of 2022, he stated.

In the Iranian calendar year ended in March 2021, about 1,200 tons of drugs were discovered, which was the highest rate of discovery in the world. If the Islamic Republic closes its eyes to the transit of drugs for a moment, the drug tsunami will undoubtedly affect the whole world, especially the Western countries, he highlighted.

According to figures released by the United Nations in 2000, Afghanistan produced about 200 tons of narcotics, but in 2018, it has grown to 9,500 tons.

In other words, the production of narcotics has increased fifty times, which has doubled the need for prevention efforts, he highlighted.

Holding training courses, forming specialized committees, exchanging knowledge and technology related to counter-narcotics equipment, identifying and discovering drugs, as well as transferring experiences related to training trainers for search dogs, can lead to the root and main causes of drug trafficking, he said.

Iran holds the world record for narcotics confiscation

Iran holds the record for narcotics confiscation in the world, Eskandar Momeni, the director of anti-narcotics police headquarters said in December 2021.

However, great achievements in the field of countermeasures have been gained, and the United Nations has officially announced that 90 percent of opium, 70 percent of morphine, and 20 percent of world heroin have been discovered by Iran.

In the Iranian calendar year ended in March 2021, about 1,200 tons of drugs were discovered, which was the highest rate of discovery in the world,” he explained.

According to figures released by the United Nations in 2000, Afghanistan produced about 200 tons of narcotics, but in 2018, it has grown to 9,500 tons.

In other words, the production of narcotics has increased fifty times, which has doubled the need for prevention efforts, he highlighted.

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, and 12,000 were wounded and disabled in the fight against drug trafficking.

The 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.

FB/MG