TEHRAN (FNA) - An Iranian border police commander announced on Saturday that the law enforcement police have discovered and seized large amounts of illicit drugs in an operation carried out near the country's southeastern borders.

Commander of Saravan's Border Guards Unit of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Law Enforcement Police Bijan Youssefi said that the police have seized 1,180 kg of opium and 5 kg of Heroin as well as a large cache of weapons and munitions from drug traffickers during an operation near the country's borders with Pakistan.
Youssefi added that the anti-drug squads started intelligence and surveillance operation to locate the potential passage of the drug traffickers after police received a tip on the movement of a drug cargo from Pakistan to Iran.
He stated that the drug traffickers managed to escape the scene after heavy arm clashes with the police forces and went to the Pakistani side of the border.
Youssefi added that diplomatic measures are underway to identify the drug traffickers to bring them back to justice in Iran.
Iran lies on a transit corridor between opium producing Afghanistan and drug dealers in Europe.
The Islamic Republic has emerged as the leading country fighting drug trafficking after making 85 percent of the world's total opium seizures.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has lost more than 3,500 of its security forces in its war against drug smuggling.