Sharp Rise in Drug Smuggling from Afghanistan to Iran Under Taliban Rule

According to Iran’s official news agency IRNA, drug smuggling from Afghanistan into Iran’s Razavi Khorasan province increased fourfold compared with the previous year. The increase was particularly notable in synthetic drugs.

Iranian Border Guard Commander Sardar Majid Shoja said that around 1.5 tonnes of drugs were seized along Iran’s border with Afghanistan during the first half of this year.

He said that approximately 30 percent of the seized drugs were industrial or synthetic narcotics.

According to Shoja, the rapid increase in crystal methamphetamine production in Afghanistan and rising prices have been major factors driving drug smuggling across the border.