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Iran loses huge money due to smuggling

27 November 2015 [19:42] - TODAY.AZ

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

Smuggling has become a headache for Iran in recent years, as the Islamic Republic is losing huge amount of money due to such illegal acts.

Habibollah Haqiqi, Head of Campaign against Smuggling of Goods and Foreign Currency said the illegal actions of smugglers in Iran bring them over $20 billion a year.

He went on to say that the smugglers’ actions also prevent to create about two million new jobs in the country, IRNA news agency reported.

Experts say every $1 billion make it possible to open up to 100,000 new jobs, he added.

Haqiqi further said the smugglers illegally bring poor quality medicine and cosmetic products to Iran, thus creating certain threat to the population’s health.

Iranian authorities have previously said fuel, currency, household accessories, clothing and mobile phones are most of all smuggled into Iran.

Iran’s Customs Administration announced that of Iran's annual $11 billion in cigarette imports, 25percent, or $3.6 billion, is smuggled into the country. Drug trafficking is estimated to be worth $3 billion.

Iran is also combating against drug trafficking. In recent years it is in a determined effort to stop the most prolific flow of drugs in the world, a flood of heroin and opium bound for the Persian Gulf and Europe. Iran, as the first link in that long and lucrative smuggling chain, has for decades fought a battle against.

Nearly a decade ago Sistan va Baluchestan Province was an active battlefield, where more than 3,900 Iranian border police officers lost their lives fighting often better-equipped drug gangs along nearly 600 miles of Iran’s eastern border.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/regions/145547.html

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