TEHRAN: Iran has seized 8.8 tons of narcotics destined for Europe and uncovered one of the country’s largest trafficking rings, police said Thursday.
“This huge narcotics shipment, which was hidden in a petrol tanker and reached here via Iran’s eastern border, was supposed to be offloaded and then smuggled to European countries,” state television reported from the northwestern city of Urmia, not far from the Turkish border.
Iran’s deputy police chief Ayoub Soleimani said the shipment comprised 3.5 tons of morphine and 5.3 tons of opium.
He said that nine suspected traffickers were arrested with an additional 20 kilogrammes of heroin and 130 firearms in their possession.
Neighbouring Afghanistan produces some 90 percent of the world’s opium, which is extracted from poppy resin and refined to make heroin and morphine.
Iran is a major transit route for Afghan-produced opiates headed to Europe and beyond.
It confiscates and destroys hundreds of tons of illicit narcotics every year.
According to the latest UN figures, Iran accounted for 91 percent of the world’s opium seizures and 20 percent of heroin and morphine seizures in 2017, amounting to 630 and 39 tons respectively.
Iran has repeatedly threatened Europe that if it does not do more to mitigate the impact of US sanctions on its economy, it could invest less in combating drug trafficking.
Washington unilaterally withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers last May and reimposed sanctions on key sectors such as oil and banking.
“Despite the international pressure and economic sanctions, Iran is still the world’s bulwark against drug trafficking,” state television said.
Iran seizes 8.8 tons of narcotics destined for Europe
Iran seizes 8.8 tons of narcotics destined for Europe
- Neighbouring Afghanistan produces some 90 percent of the world’s opium
- Iran is a major transit route for Afghan-produced opiates headed to Europe and beyond
Ceasefire with Kurdish-led force extended for another 15 days, Syrian army says
- The defense ministry said the extension was in support of an operation by US forces to transfer accused Daesh militants to Iraq
- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed the ceasefire extension
RAQQA, Syria: Hours after the expiration of a four-day truce between the Syrian government and Kurdish-led fighters Saturday, Syria’s defense ministry announced the ceasefire had been extended by another 15 days.
The defense ministry said in a statement that the extension was in support of an operation by US forces to transfer accused Daesh militants who had been held in prisons in northeastern Syria to detention centers in Iraq.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed the ceasefire extension.
“Our forces affirm their commitment to the agreement and their dedication to respecting it, which contributes to de-escalation, the protection of civilians, and the creation of the necessary conditions for stability,” the group said in a statement.
Over the past three weeks, there have been intense clashes between government forces and the SDF, in which the SDF lost large parts of the area they once controlled.
Earlier in the day, the Kurdish-led force called on the international community to prevent any escalation.
The end of the truce came as government forces have been sending reinforcements to Syria’s northeast.
Syria’s interim government signed an agreement last March with the SDF for it to hand over territory and to eventually merge its fighters with government forces. In early January, a new round of talks failed to make progress over the merger, leading to renewed fighting between the two sides.
A new version of the accord was signed last weekend, and a four-day ceasefire was declared Tuesday. Part of the new deal is that SDF members will have to merge into the army and police forces as individuals.
The SDF said in a statement Saturday that military buildups and logistical movements by government forces have been observed, “clearly indicating an intent to escalate and push the region toward a new confrontation.” The SDF said it will continue to abide by the truce.
On Saturday, state TV said authorities on Saturday released 126 boys under the age of 18 who were held at the Al-Aqtan prison near the northern city of Raqqa that was taken by government forces Friday. The teenagers were taken to the city of Raqqa where they were handed over to their families, the TV station said.
The prison is also home to some of the 9,000 members of the Daesh group who are held in northeastern Syria. Most of them remain held in jails run by the SDF. Government forces have so far taken control of two prisons while the rest are still run by the SDF.
Earlier this week, the US military said that some 7,000 Daesh detainees will be transferred to detention centers in neighboring Iraq.
On Wednesday, the US military said that 150 prisoners have been taken to Iraq.
