Iran seizes over 12 tons of illicit drugs in a week

TEHRAN, Nov. 28 -- Iranian police seized more than 12 tons of various kinds of illicit drugs across the country over the past week, the deputy commander of Anti-Drug Headquarters announced on Wednesday.

The total amount of the captured illicit drugs was 12,676 kg, with the opium comprising 80 percent of the total, Assadollah Hadinejad was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

Hashish, morphine, heroine and crystal meth were also among the captured drugs, he said.

Iran has long suffered from drug trafficking, as it is at the crossroad of international drug smuggling from Afghanistan, the world's top opium producer, to Europe.

Over the past decades, Iran's eastern and southeastern borders had seen clashes between Iranian security forces and armed drug smugglers.