An Iranian official has lauded Bulgaria�s significant role in the fight against narcotics, saying the Islamic Republic is ready to cooperate with the European country in anti-drug campaign.
Deputy Secretary-General of Iran Drug Control Headquarters Taha Taheri made the remarks during a meeting with Deputy Head of Bulgarian counterpart, Branimir Bratoev on Saturday.
Pointing to the transit of narcotics to Bulgaria via Iraq and Turkey, Taheri said Iran and Bulgaria were both at the crossroads of drug trafficking, calling for a trilateral meeting between Iran, Iraq and Bulgaria to curb drug trafficking.
The Bulgarian official, for his part, said his country is willing to use Iran�s experience in the fight against narcotics.

With a 900-kilometer (560-mile) common border with Afghanistan, Iran has been used as the main conduit for smuggling Afghan drugs to narcotics kingpins in Europe.

Iran has spent more than USD700 million to seal the borders and prevent the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.

The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 3,700 Iranian police officers over the past 30 years.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, despite the high human costs, Iran is now netting eight times more opium and three times more heroin than all the other countries in the world combined.

By Press TV

 

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