May 10, 2024
President Raisi has complained that Europe just isn’t doing very much to fight drug smuggling and has left the Islamic Republic to do most of the work itself.
He spoke just hours after Bulgarian police stopped a truck crossing into Bulgaria from Turkey and found 403 kilos (887 lbs) of heroin neatly divided among 618 packages tucked into 156 mattresses being exported from Iran to Europe.
Police valued the haul at $9 million. The truck driver was a Turkish national and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of drug trafficking. Raisi said the Islamic Republic has been the front runner in the battle against drug trafficking. He said other countries have not carried out their share of responsibility in the fight.
He said the effort to stop drug trafficking is a costly burden for the Islamic Republic and Western countries should be held accountable for their failures to live up to their responsibilities.