Minister: West Needs to Assist Iran in War on Drugs to Guard Western Nations

TEHRAN (Defapress)- "The international system is expected to render assistance based on the specified structure to omit this deadly plight," Rahmani Fazli said, addressing a ceremony in Tehran on Tuesday on the occasion of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

He said that 3,800 Iranian security forces have so far been martyred during efforts to fight against illicit drugs, and warned, "If we close our eyes for 24 hours, 5,000 tons of drugs will be trafficked to the West through the passages that we control (to prevent drug trafficking)."

Rahmani Fazli noted that there are nearly 700 types of drugs in the world, and cautioned, "Cultivation of drugs in Afghanistan has increased to 9,000 tons."

He also cautioned about the large amount of industrial drugs produced in the world.

In relevant remarks on Sunday, Rahmani Fazli said drug lords and cartels have been keeping billions of dollars in EU banks despite Europeans' claims about campaign against money laundering.

"I always tell them (the European officials) at international circles that they claim to be against money-laundering, but the turnover of drug money in their banks stands at $50bln" Rahmani Fazli told reporters in a press conference in Tehran.

He criticized the European countries for their lack of assistance to Iran's drug campaign, and said, "They have even avoided supplying Iran with x-ray systems and sniffer dogs."

Rahmani Fazli said that drugs, refugees and terrorism are international problems and the international bodies should actively help those countries which are in the frontline of such wars, including Iran.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are two origins of producing and trafficking of various types of narcotic in the region.

The anti-drug squads of the Iranian Law Enforcement Police have intensified their countrywide campaign against drug-trafficking through staging long-term systematic operations since 2010.

The Iranian anti-narcotic police have always staged periodic, but short-term, operations against drug traffickers and dealers, but the latest reports - which among others indicate an improved and systematic dissemination of information - reveal that the world's most forefront and dedicated anti-narcotic force (as UN drug-campaign assessments put it) has embarked on a long-term countrywide plan to crack down on the drug trade since 7 years ago.

The Iranian police officials maintain that drug production in Afghanistan has undergone a 40-fold increase since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.

Afghan and western officials blame Washington and NATO for the change, saying that allies have "overlooked" the drug problem since invading the country more than 16 years ago.

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