Integrated Border Control in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Project Number: IRN/I50

Project Title: Integrated Border Control in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Background: Drug Trafficking Situation in Iran

Iran's eastern border with Afghanistan and Pakistan is 1,845 kilometres (km) long and consists of mainly mountainous or harsh desert terrain. It is therefore extremely difficult to control this area totally although 12,000 anti narcotics police and border guards are deployed at these long borders. To support their efforts, a massive construction programme has been initiated by the Government to make the entry of drugs across the border from Afghanistan and Pakistan extremely difficult.

All drugs which enter Iran from Sistan and Baluchestan Province are primarily dispatched to outskirts of Bam City via Zahedan, the capital of Sistan and Baluchestan Province. A large percentage of the total amounts of opium, heroin and morphine enter Iran from Sistan and Baluchestan Province and a large portion of this is sent to Bam City. From Zahedan to Bam are two main routes: (1) from Zahedan to Narmashir through the Roodmahi mountain then from Narmashir to Bam City; and (2) from Zahedan to Noosratabad to Kabody mountain to Bam. Trafficking to main stations in Iran usually takes place at night. Route Guides know all the roads and passages in the eastern part of Iran. Some even know how to move drugs across up to city of Qom which is 110 Km south of Tehran.

The use of a new tactic has created the opportunity for drug lords to use many unknown routes especially through precarious terrains. Currently, each caravan has 20 to 30 gunmen. In parallel with this new tactic, is the strategy that in cases of armed confrontation with Police Anti Narcotic force a number of foot soldiers will be engaged while the rest try to escape taking the drugs with them. Some of the well-known drug lords use 30 to 40 motorcycles in each "trip".

In spite of all these measures, organised trafficking groups as well as individual mules still manage to ship small and large consignments of illicit drugs through the borders. The huge profit behind the drug trafficking together with varieties of social and economic indicators especially in the border provinces with Afghanistan and Pakistan has been the winning factor behind drug organizations success in carrying out their operations and stage recruitment of new foot soldiers and middle men replacing them with the jailed convicts or those who have been killed during shipment of drug consignments and police anti narcotics operations.

Project objective:

The Integrated Border Control project aims at strengthening the drug interdiction capacities of the Iranian Anti Narcotics Police (including border guards) and Customs by increasing their capabilities to interdict illicit drugs and precursors entering and exiting Iran at selected eastern border points. The project will promote the establishment of an information sharing mechanism thus further supporting cross-border cooperation between Iran and eastern neighbouring countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The project is an integral part of the UNODC Strategic Programme Framework for Iran and it fully complies with the Paris Pact recommendations on drug control cooperation in the Islamic Republic of Iran.