Deputy Minister: Drugs Trafficking Paths Changed From Land To Sea

Tehran, Jan 4, IRNA – Due to the strict border control over the Iranian land barriers, a major part of narcotic drugs is trafficked through the country’s sea borders today, Deputy Interior Minister for Security and Disciplinary Affairs Ali Abdollahi said here Friday. “Changing the path of the narcotic drugs’ trafficking from land to sea shows the effectiveness of the measures adopted to control our land borders,” Abdollahi told the Islamic Republic News Agency, IRNA. He all the same said that this does not mean that no narcotic drug is trafficked through the country’s porous land borders, which are over 2,000 kilometers long only on the Easter side with Pakistan and Afghanistan. ** Narcotics trafficked on backpacks, and camel backs The deputy interior minister said that before intensifying the anti-narcotics/anti-terrorism border control the narcotic drugs were trafficked in car convoys and on motorcycles, but the paths are blocked for such types of trafficking today and the major part of the trafficked drugs is therefore carried in backpacks by individuals, or on beasts of burden, which are mainly camels. Abdollahi said that the amount of the seized narcotic drugs at zero point of the Iranian borders has increased six-fold compared with the previous year, which is another sign for the success of the adopted measures. ** Physical blocking of non-inhibited border regions The deputy interior minister stressed that border control is a priority for the Interior Ministry, saying that on the country’s eastern borders in addition to drugs trafficking Iran is faced with illegal entry of foreign citizens and activities of the terrorist and extremist groups, which necessitate greater sensitivity of border blockage in various dimensions. Abdollahi referred to the implemented development projects in the border regions in addition to the measures adopted to block the borders, such as setting up barbed wire lines, digging canals, construction of more control towers and taking advantage of radar and electronic systems. He said that in case of the uninhibited border regions one of the three priorities of physical blockage, implementing development plans, or completion of the incomplete projects is applied. He said that in case of the northern and western borders of the country there are absolutely no walls and canals and other ways for blocking the borders are used. He said that the topographies of the Iranian border regions differ which is why different means and methods are applied in implementing border security measures in borders with different countries. ** Security pacts signed with seven neighboring countries The deputy interior minister for security and disciplinary affairs said that the Islamic Republic has signed security pacts with seven of its neighbors, related to bilateral concerns on campaign against terrorism, organized crime, and greater border control to end human trafficking, illegal entry of immigrants, and narcotic drugs./end