Police slice open camels in drugs haul

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian police have seized 18 kilograms of opium after cutting open the stomachs of six camels, which are being increasingly used to carry narcotics from Afghanistan (news - web sites), media report.


Iran is one of the world's key narcotics thoroughfares, carrying opiates from Afghanistan to Europe. It boasts 25 percent of opium seizures worldwide.


The official IRNA news agency said on Tuesday that police in the central city of Nain slaughtered the camels which they found in the back of a lorry pulled over at a checkpoint.


The bellies of four animals yielded drugs and the lorry driver was arrested.


Networks of forts and ramparts across Iran's eastern borders have forced drug dealers back to more traditional methods, carrying narcotics through narrow mountain passes in rucksacks and camels' saddle-bags.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=856&ncid=856&e=1&u=/nm/20041130/od_uk_nm/oukoe_iran_camels

another 'reason' to invade Iran. They're drug smugglers ruining our children's future. Oh won't somebody please think of the children???

couldn't they have just given the camels a laxative or something?