Iraj Kakavand, Iran’s head of the anti-narcotics police, said that since the beginning of the year, discovery of drugs has increased by 21% in the country.

Kakavand also announced the discovery of “500 kilograms of methamphetamine of Afghan origin” in Hormozgan province.

On Thursday, the IRIB News Agency quoted Kakavand as stating that approximately 470 tonnes of narcotics were seized in Iran over a period of nine months.

Also, the Iranian authorities have announced the arrest of 2,859 retailers and smugglers during this period.

At the same time, Ali Akbar Javidan, the police chief of Hormozgan province, said that in the last 24 hours, about two tonnes of drugs were discovered in this province.

While the Taliban in Afghanistan claim to have reduced drug cultivation and trafficking over two years, Iranian authorities consistently refute these reports, saying that the claim is not accurate.