Judiciary Head: America and European Countries Are Supporters of Drug Traffickers
The Head of the Judiciary Branch stated: “We have confidential information that shows that America and European countries are supporters of drug traffickers, that they are deeply involved in this dirty business, and that some of the countries in [our] region are generating income from the transit and distribution of narcotics.”
According to a report by IRNA from the Judiciary Branch’s Center for the Media, in a meeting on Sunday entitled "The Pathology and Analysis of the Process of Combatting Narcotic Drugs," convened in the office of the Head of the Judiciary Branch with activists engaged in the fight against drug addiction as well as the Secretary and several members of the Headquarters for the Fight Against Narcotic Drugs in attendance, Hojjatoleslam Val-Moslemin (a title in the clergy hierarchy) Seyyed Ebrahim Ra'isi stated that the problem of narcotic drugs was one of the issues with the highest priority in the country, the fight against which requires the collective will of the country’s highest ranking officials.
The Drug problem is threatening our youth and the foundation of the family
He stated: “Today, the drug problem is threatening our youth and the foundation of the family, and has turned into a major predicament that has created a great many issues in the cultural, social, economic, and moral realms, and we should all be very serious in our treatment of it.”
We should not rely on the help of foreign countries in combatting narcotic drugs
Emphasizing the necessity of intensifying the security and policing aspects of the approach in fighting narcotic drugs, he stated: “In a world where America and certain European countries support the cultivation of narcotic drugs and the transformation of traditional drugs to industrial ones, a world in which drug traffickers move drugs with the protection of American naval vessels, we should not rely on the help of foreigners in combatting narcotic drugs.”
The Head of the Judiciary Branch further stated: “The actions of international organizations in supporting Iran in its fight against narcotic drugs do not go beyond words and giving medals, and there is no serious will to eradicate narcotic drugs and the dilemma of drug addiction once and for all. And this is while everyone knows the Islamic Republic has the most sincere and straightforward approach on the matter.”
Stating that “we will not allow the Dealers of Death to harm our social infrastructure through distribution of narcotics”, Ra'isi continued: “We have confidential information that shows that America and European countries are supporters of drug traffickers, that they are deeply involved in this dirty business, and that some of the countries in [our] region are generating income from the transit and distribution of narcotics.”
The Head of the Judiciary considered the expansion of information and intelligence activities as an integral part of the fight against narcotics. Emphasizing the necessity of using the potential of the general population in identifying and discovering drug trafficking networks and drug manufacture and distribution centers, he said: “The stronger our intelligence activities are, the harder it will be for drugs to penetrate the heartland of the country.”
He added: “The martyrdom of our border protection patrolmen is sad and horrible, but their sacrifices and their dedication are a show of their will and awareness in combatting drug trafficking rings and in preventing their entry into our borders, which truly merits a strong show of appreciation and gratitude.”
The Judiciary’s will to inflict damage on the economic foundations of drug traffickers
In another portion of his speech, the Head of the Judiciary emphasized the Judiciary’s determination in inflicting damage on the economic foundations of drug traffickers and expropriating their assets, and stated: “We must break the back the drug trafficker who is determined to destroy our youth, and returning the traffickers’ property to them is nonesense.”
Ra'isi added: “Drug traffickers must know that they have entered the dangerous grounds of absolute corruption. They have targeted our social and cultural foundations as well as the cornerstone and the sanctity of the family. Our colleagues in the Judiciary will not allow, under any circumstances, that assets and properties be returned to these people, and if there is any loopholes in the law in that regard, it must be swiftly taken care of.”
A blatant, willful, and conspicuous drug addict is a criminal
The Head of the Judiciary also stressed the necessity to clean up infested districts and sweeping up blatant addicts and said: “A blatant addict is a criminal and he must be treated as such; we must absolutely not allow any part of our towns and any place in our country for that matter, to become a safe haven for blatant addicts.”
"We must absolutely not allow any part of our towns and any place in our country for that matter, to become a safe haven for blatant addicts.”
Ra'isi added: “To arrest a blatant addict, incur exorbitant costs, and then release him/her back into the general population so that he/she can continue what he/she was doing and harass and harm other people, is totally unacceptable. And if we need to amend our laws [to remedy this situation] we must do so promptly so that the people’s concerns can be eliminated as quickly as possible.”
The Head of the Judiciary noted, however, that holding blatant addicts in detention should not cause an increase in the prison population; on the contrary, these individuals, and even drug traffickers, must be kept in an appropriate holding environment. He emphasized the construction and establishment of new camps designed for holding and rehabilitating addicts and specified: “Preventive and combative measures are fine and have merit, but all of these measures must result in a decrease in the threats and dangers [posed by these individuals].”
Ra'isi further emphasized the necessity of supervising the internet and the virtual environment and asked the government bodies responsible for overseeing the virtual space not to allow it to become a safe space for conducting narcotics transactions, for corrupt individuals to carry out their activities, and for drug traffickers to destroy families.
Amending, modifying, and updating the Law for Combatting Narcotic Drugs, intensifying the closure of borders, strengthening the diplomacy related to combatting drugs, implementing efforts to decrease supply and demand for drugs, and carrying out unified cultural and social activities alongside security, policing, and judicial action, were among other subjects emphasized by the Head of the Judiciary in combatting narcotic drugs.
Combatting narcotic drugs is not a matter of secondary importance
Stressing that no one should consider combatting narcotic drugs a matter of secondary importance, Ra'isi stated: “We are all be responsible if a young person becomes a drug addict or the foundations of a family are threatened, and we will not tolerate the slightest bit of negligence or fault on anyone’s part in carrying out their responsibilities.”
The Head of the Judiciary said: “If we work from a position of strength and authority, and in coordination and collective cooperation with each other in combatting drugs, we will be able to resolve this problem in spite of all of America’s and Europe’s deviance and their support for the narcotic drugs mafia; but we must know that there are extensive threats and we must act accordingly.”
He added: “Today, many terrorist groups make their money from the drug traffic and this is no longer a financial issue but a political one, and we must treat it with and from a position of strength and authority and fight it with all our capacity and might.”
Criticism of the profit-seeking and income-generating view of combatting narcotic drugs
The Head of the Judiciary criticized the profit-seeking and income-generating view of combatting narcotic drugs and said: “The income generated from the fight against drugs must be spent solely on continuing the fight against narcotic drugs and must not be considered as a way of compensating for the budget shortfalls of other government bodies and resolving their financial issues.”
At the outset of this meeting, Commander Eskandar Momeni, the Secretary General of the Headquarters for the Fight Against Narcotic Drugs and 10 representatives of different government organs members of the Headquarters that preside over its various committees, presented a report on the situation of drug use and the fight against narcotics in the world, the region, and Iran, as well as on the opportunities and the threats existing in the fight, and proceeded to describe their viewpoints, programs, and demands regarding those matters.
Cannabis, the world’s number one and most used narcotic drug
At this meeting, Hamidreza Sarrami, Advisor to the Headquarters for the Fight Against Narcotic Drugs’ Secretary General, and Director General of its Office of Research announced that the world is facing the phenomenon of an ever-increasing supply, demand, and use of narcotic drugs, and that cannabis, which belongs to the Hashish and Marijuana family, is the most used drug in the world.
He stated: “In 2006, 208 million people had at least a one-time use of drugs and more in the world, but that figure has now reached 269 million, and in the last 13 years, drug use in the world has seen a 29 percent increase; the number of psychotropic drugs available has also increased from 166 varieties in 2006 to 541 [today].”
According to Sarrami, currently there is a very serious connection between terrorism and drug trafficking, and traffickers make the most profit from the sale and purchase of narcotics in the hidden layers of the web and the virtual environment.
He further noted: “By legalizing drug use in 14 of its states, America is in first place for drug use, with 43 million Americans using some type of narcotic drug at least one time and more. [With this continuing trend], in the next 5 years, the world will experience an explosion of drug manufacture and use.”
Regarding the situation of narcotic drugs in Iran, the Advisor to the Headquarters for the Fight Against Narcotic Drugs’ Secretary explained: “In the 40 years since the victory of the Revolution, from 1979-80 to 2019-20, twelve thousand tons of various types of narcotic and psychotropic drugs were recovered and confiscated in our country, and 52 thousand drug rings were destroyed in the course of 43 thousand operations.”
Regarding the financial loss incurred by drug traffickers, Sarrami stated that between 2016-17 and 2018-19, a total of 7 thousand 375 billion Tumans of damage was inflicted on drug traffickers’ financial interests through confiscation of real and personal property, and in 2019-20, one thousand five hundred and sixty billion Rials’ worth of their assets were identified, which represented a 138 percent increase compared to 2018-19.
He further noted that in that period, a figure amounting to 243 billion Tumans was generated from the sale of 44 percent of [the drug traffickers’] assets, expropriation of 256 parcels of real property, and confiscation of 273 automobiles belonging to the drug traffickers, by judicial orders.
The Advisor to the Headquarters for the Fight Against Narcotic Drugs’ Secretary General continued: “Thus far, 385 thousand individuals have lost their lives in the fight against narcotic drugs and have become martyrs, 12 thousand have become disabled, and 167 thousand billion Tumans has been expended to combat the Dealers of Death.”
Three thousand Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) cooperate in the fight against narcotics
He stated that currently, close to three thousand NGO’s are working with various government organs in the fight against narcotics and reporting in this regard has increased 118 percent, 12 percent of which is done through the national medium, the State Radio and Television.
Sarrami also alluded to the subject of drug diplomacy and the signing of more than 30 cooperation agreements between Iran and other countries, and noted: “The Islamic Republic has thus far been praised and commended 8 times by the United Nations and its related institutions for its firm, decisive, serious, and earnest fight against narcotic drugs.”
Opium, the most used drug in Iran
The Advisor to the Headquarters for the Fight Against Narcotic Drugs’ Secretary General cited opium as the most used narcotic in Iran and concluded by saying “on its own, Iran discovers and confiscates 90 percent of the world’s opium, 48 percent of its heroin, and 26 percent of its morphine”.
Among other subjects discussed at this meeting were the provision of 458 thousand cases of free counseling and training to families, implementation of the “Pazak” plan for the prevention of drug addiction among women and children in 500 vulnerable regions, and praise and commendation for the Head of the Judiciary’s Directives and the Prison Organization’s actions in allowing convicted drug criminals to be furloughed during the Corona virus pandemic.
At this meeting, the country’s Prosecutor General, Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, alluded to the importance of the fight against narcotic drugs and asked for the country’s highest ranking executive officials to pay serious attention to the fight and to attend the Headquarters for the Fight Against Narcotic Drugs’ meetings.
The remarkable increase in the discovery of narcotic drugs in the past year
In the final portion of the meeting, the Headquarters for the Fight Against Narcotic Drugs’ Secretary General asked for the Head of the Judiciary Branch’s special attention to the stopping of judicial decisions related to the return of drug traffickers’ assets and to do away with legal loopholes existing in that regard, increasing prison terms for blatant addicts as a deterrent, establishing the necessary spaces for holding these addicts, and amending the Law as regards to treatment of petty traffickers and dealers.
Commander Momeni alluded to the remarkable increase in the discovery of narcotic drugs in the past year which he considered to be the highest in the world, as well as to the threefold increase in identifying and expropriating 50 percent of the assets of the country’s drug traffickers. But he also added that the fight against drugs will not reach the desired goals without proper laws.
He stated: “Iran is the only country that provides for the shortest prison term – from 1 to 3 months – for blatant addicts, whereas in China and Belgium, whose laws were studied as examples, the shortest prison term for such individuals is 2 years, which increases in case of recidivism. The result of [appropriately] amending and modifying our laws is that we will no longer witness the presence of blatant addicts [in our society].”