Besides Iran’s malign activities, such as its regional interference, and missile and nuclear projects, drug trafficking plays a major role in the Iranian regime’s dangerous behavior against other nations. This regime accounts for about 74 percent of the world’s opium smuggling and 25 percent of the world’s heroin and morphine trafficking.
The regime spends millions to keep international drug smuggling alive, including facilitating the construction of many facilities and factories in Syria to produce narcotics. In addition to opium and heroin trafficking, the regime is also involved in the production and trafficking of Amphetamine-Type Stimulants (ATS).
In recent years, the production of these types of drugs has suddenly increased. This trafficking has largely spread to Europe from East and South-East Asia, with maritime routes playing a major role in the regime’s drug trafficking activities. The money gained by drug trafficking is mainly used for the support of its proxy terrorist groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, etc, with the network being managed by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and the terrorist Quds Force.
In a report on September 9, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) wrote about the regime’s drug activities in Syria, stating, “As Iranian forces and their proxy militias are exerting tenacious efforts to entrench their presence in Syria, they have tried every possible way to increase their resources. Recently, the ‘drug business’ has become the major source of income for Iranian-backed militias in Syria, especially in areas under their control in the Deir Ezzor countryside, namely the west Euphrates region which has been turned into Iran’s “autonomous colony” in Syria.”
Discussing the location of the factories that are producing narcotics, the report added, “Through ongoing monitoring of the manufacture of narcotics in Dier Ezzor, SOHR sources have been able to identify the locations of seven illicit drug-manufacturing laboratories in areas under the control of Iranian-backed militias in Deir Ezzor city and countryside.”
According to the SOHR these sites are as follows:
- A villa in Al-Qusour neighborhood in Deir Ezzor city.
- A primitive plant near Bahrat Afrah in the Al-Qusour neighborhood in Deir Ezzor city.
- A building near the headquarters of the electrical and mechanical engineering institution in “Port Said” street in Al-Ommal neighborhood in Deir Ezzor city.
- A primitive plant near Al-Mu’alimeen park (the Teachers’ Park) in Deir Ezzor city.
- A primitive plant in the Al-Khanat area on the outskirts of Al-Mayadeen city, east of Deir Ezzor.
- A primitive plant in the Al-Hezam area in Al-Bokamal city, east of Deir Ezzor.
- A primitive plant in Al-Villat street in Al-Bokamal city, east of Deir Ezzor.
Finally, the report named the regime’s proxy groups who are involved in drug production and trafficking, which are:
- Lebanese Hezbollah.
- Iraqi Hezbollah.
- Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
- Asa’ib Ahl Al-Haqq militia which is affiliated with the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces.
- Harakat Al-Abdal militia (Al-Abdal Movement) which is affiliated with the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces.
- National Defence Forces (NDF).
- The 4th Division.
- Militias of “Jaysh Al-Ashayer” which comprises tribesmen from Al-Bakarah, Al-Bosaraya, and Al-She’aytat tribes.
The German media recently reported that the country has seized around 700-kilos of heroin that has been smuggled in, which is an unprecedented event in the country’s history. On September 10, the Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote, “This is the largest quantity of this drug [heroin] ever seized in Germany.”
A day earlier, Focus wrote, “According to this, five suspects were arrested against whom investigations are being carried out on suspicion of importing narcotics in large quantities by gangs. They are said to have smuggled heroin from Iran to Germany on a large scale to distribute it from here throughout Europe.”
A 40-year-old Iranian has been considered an accomplice in this crime, in addition to a 35-year-old Iranian, who is said to have helped organize the transport of the narcotics in the Netherlands.
