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Iranian police shoot dead 7 drug traffickers on Afghan border - TV

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TEHRAN, October 29 (RIA Novosti) - Iranian law enforcement officers killed seven drug traffickers on the Afghan border during a special operation, Iranian TV channels reported on Monday.

The incident occurred in Iran's northeast Khorasan Razavi Province. During the operation, police also arrested seven people found carrying 135 kg (around 300 pounds) of opium.

Afghanistan, the world's largest opium and heroin producer, has a long border with Iran, making the Islamic Republic a major drug smuggling route.

According to Iranian law enforcement agencies, about 30% of drugs produced in Afghanistan and Pakistan find their way into Iran. About 50% remains in the country, while the rest is smuggled to other countries.

Over 3,000 Iranian law enforcers have died in the last 18 years in operations to fight drug traffickers.

This year, Iranian authorities publicly destroyed 70 metric tons of drugs in Tehran on International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking.

According to official Iranian data, the country's law enforcers seized over 420 tons of narcotic substances in 2006, 24% more than the previous year.

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