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TEHRAN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Iranian police has seized more than two tonnes of opium in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, the provincial police chief said on Sunday.
Anti-narcotics forces in Iran targted major drug rings that attempted to smuggle huge cargoes of illicit drugs, Brigadier General Hossein Rahimi was quoted as saying by private Tasnim news agency.
In a successful operation on Saturday, the police arrested eight smugglers, seizing 1,165 kg of opium, a truck and two cars, Rahimi said.
In another raid, the police targeted members of a major drug ring in the province and seized 864kg of opium, he added.
Iran said earlier the crackdown on drug trafficking has cost it over 700 million U.S. dollars over the past two years.
Some 5,000 Iranian troops have been killed in fighting with drug traffickers near border areas over the past three decades.
Iran has long suffered from drug trafficking, as it is at the crossroads of international drug smuggling from Afghanistan, the world's top opium producer, to Europe.
