West 'not doing enough to stop drug trafficking'
Wednesday, 25 Jun 2008 10:43
Iran blames west for dramatic rise in drug trafficking
Iran In Focus
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From our special correspondent.
Iran has blamed a lack of support and funding from the west for a dramatic rise in drug trafficking.
Iranian police seized about 900 tonnes of drugs out of an estimated 2,500 tonnes that were smuggled into the country from Afghanistan last year.
Iran lies on a major transit route for opium and other drugs heading to Europe from Afghanistan.
About a third of the drugs not seized by police is used in Iran, where there are an estimated 1.6 million addicts.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reports that opium production in Afghanistan grew from 6,100 tonnes in 2006 to 8,200 tonnes in 2007.
The figure accounts for some 93 per cent of total global production.
In contrast to what Iran described as the lacklustre efforts being made by western powers, in particular the 60,000-strong Nato and American military presence in Afghanistan, the UN agency heaped praise on Iran's drug interdiction efforts.
The agency's representative in Tehran, Roberto Arbitrio, described Iran's effort to combat drug trafficking "as exceptional around the world".