IRANIAN POLICE SEIZE 1.3 TONS OF DRUGS, ARREST 116

TEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) -- Iranian police seized 1.3 tons of drugs and
arrested 116 traffickers in the central Yazd province, the official IRNA
news agency said on Monday.

The seized drugs consisted mainly of opium with smaller amounts of heroin
and hashish, IRNA said.

Iran lies on the main drug transit route from Afghanistan and Pakistan, the
so-called "golden crescent," to the lucrative markets of Europe and the
oil-rich Arab states.

It also suffers from a domestic drug abuse problem with around 2 million
addicts and casual users in a population of 63 million.

Iran's parliament earlier this year approved $25 million in emergency funds
to stem the growing flow of drugs from Afghanistan and growing lawlessness
in its eastern provinces.

The United Nations has also recently increased its aid programs to Iran in
an effort to help police patrol the country's drug-infested eastern borders.

But officials say the foreign assistance is not enough to help keep
thousands of combat-ready police troops permanently on the long and porous
frontiers.