MNA � The police force of the Sistan and Baluchestan province, southeastern Iran, have successfully seized 1,372 kilograms of different drugs through an operation in the border regions, the police chief of the province said on Saturday.

Brigadier General Mohammad Ghanbari said that drug smugglers were after transferring a significant amount of drugs from border areas of Khash to central provinces when police forces seized their shipment after having an armed conflict with the band.

1,271 kilograms of opium, 61,600 kilograms of heroin, 2,850 kilograms of hashish, and 35,900 kilograms of other drugs were seized in the operation, along with two AK47 rifles, and a large number of cartridges, Ghanbari noted.

The Islamic Republic has been actively fighting drug-trafficking over the past three decades, despite its high economic and human costs. The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 Iranian police officers over the past four decades. The country has spent more than hundreds of millions of dollars on sealing its borders and preventing 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 4,000 Iranian police officers over the past four decades.

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