April 15, 2016
City police in Tehran arrested 2,900 drunk drivers last year, with the capital’s prosecutor, Abbas Jafarabadi, describing the figure as “alarming.”
Alcohol has been banned in Iran since the revolution and those who break the law can be fined, lashed or serve prison time. Only the country’s Christian minority has the right to produce wine for religious purposes.
However, demand for all types of drink fuels smuggling from neighboring Iraq and Turkey. The inflated prices charged by illegal networks has also spurred cheaper locally produced beer, wine and spirits—including some hooch that is poisonous and kills many people every year.
According to official figures, there are 200,000 alcoholics in Iran among the 79 million population. Some believe that more than one million Iranians regularly consume alcohol.
In recent years, police have used breath tests in roadside checks, recognizing the magnitude of the problem.
The fine for offenders has also been doubled from 2 million rials (around $60) to 4 million rials.