Smugglers Kill 2 Coast Guard Members South of Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Two sailors of the Iranian Border Police were killed in a gunfight with smugglers in the coastal province of Hormozgan.
Commander of Iran's Border Police Brigadier General Qassem Rezaei said on Tuesday that the two servicemen were martyred in the exchange of fire with smugglers in Minab region, south of the country.
He said the Coast Guard Police forces in Minab were informed of smuggling of huge amounts of illicit drugs, fuel, livestock and other contraband in the coastal region after keeping a close watch on suspicious activities.
The Border Police sailors were deployed to Minab on Tuesday to seize the vessel of smugglers, the commander said, adding that the criminals did not heed the Police warning, opened fire on the officers, and killed two sailors of Minab’s Coast Guard Police.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has on various occasions called on the Iranian Law Enforcement Force to enhance its capabilities and take serious action against smugglers.
In comments in April, the Leader stressed the need for resolute action against smugglers, saying, “One of the obstacles to the materialization of production boom is ‘smuggling’, which has become two-way (trend) today, and in addition to the contraband imports, a series of commodities that people and the agricultural sector need are being smuggled out of the country.”
