MNA – The police forces of West Azerbaijan province of Iran have successfully seized 2.1 tons of illegal drugs.

Police Chief of West Azerbaijan province Colonel Shamsali Haghverdian said Sunday that 2.1 tons of illegal drugs have been seized since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21).

The level of drug discoveries has increased by 80% compared to the corresponding period last year, he added.

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.