Brigadier-General Majid Karimi during a meeting with foreign liaison officers and representatives of international organizations briefed about Iran's actions in the fight against illicit drugs and its police services in this regards.
Liaison officers from the British, Spanish, German, Philippine Embassies, the EU Representative and the Head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Pakistan participated in the meeting, held at the Iranian Embassy in Islamabad.
He said that matter of sharing intelligence has always been under consideration. He stated that Iran has changed the rules for the punishment of drug traffickers and right now there is no more death penalty for them.
“Through we are trying to prevent the flow of illicit drugs into our country but the drug traffickers are using heavy weapons against us. We are really in a war against these people,” noted the Iranian official.
Chief of Iran's Anti-Narcotics Police expressing his views said illicit drugs are not related to politics adding that Iran is working with some countries against narcotics with which it doesn’t have diplomatic ties.
“Like Canada we had sent some information because we are trying to save humanity,” added Brigadier-General Majid Karimi.
He said that one militant group Rigi which has been abducting and killing Iranian borders guards has connection with drug traffickers. “This terrorist group is using the drug money and they are cutting the heads of our border guards and sending their ears to their families,” he noted.
The Iranian official stated that overall 17,000 Iranians have been killed in the terrorist attacks.
“I don’t want to blame any country, but we have too many problems with Daesh which is now active in many regional countries,” he pointed out.
He said this group had kidnapped six Iranian border guards, ‘they attack our soldiers with heavy weapons’ adding that there is strong connection between the terrorist groups and drug dealers.
He said Iran has a very good facility of sniffer dogs and has been able to recover 70 metric ton of illicit drugs.
Chief of Iran's Anti-Narcotics Police added that every year Iran used to host a conference of DLOs of many countries with the cooperation of the UN but due to Covid-19 the process has been stopped. He suggested that virtual conference on the global problem can be held.
Responding to a question of one the participating DLOs he said we are ready to host sea route conference. “We are very serious in dealing this drug issue, I am here in Pakistan at the time of Covid-19 to discuss the issue of illicit drugs,” Karimi said.
In response to a question from some foreign liaison officers, Sardar Karimi called the Joint Planning Center (JPC) a useful and constructive reference for discussing drug trafficking issues.
“We are eager to work closely with all countries including Pakistan and Afghanistan on drug trafficking,” he said.
He noted that drug traffickers are using different methods to smuggle the narcotics adding that we have to change the tactics to combat drug trafficking. The official went on to say that 4000 Iranians have been killed while 11,500 have been wounded by drug traffickers.
“How can we tolerate this, why should we do it alone, we are looking for coordination of other countries against these inhuman people?” he asked.
Chief of Iran's Anti-Narcotics Police Brigadier-General Majid Karimi arrived Pakistan on Sunday on a two-day official visit. He has met separately with Interior Minister of Pakistan Sheikh Rashid Ahmad and Director General of Pakistan Anti-Narcotics Forces (ANF) Major General Mohammad Arif Malik.
He is also scheduled to meet with Pakistan's Minister of Narcotics Control Ijaz Ahmad Shah today. He will also meet with the Director General of Pakistan Maritime Security Agency in Karachi.
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