“Promotion of security is a prerequisite to economic activity and prosperity, and one of the main roadblocks in the way of bolstering production is smuggling,” the Leader said in a meeting with police commanders in Tehran on Sunday, his website reported.
Ayatollah Khamenei also said police must address another aspect of smuggling that has recently emerged, which is the fact that the scourge has become a “two-way” process as some goods needed by the people, including agricultural products, are being smuggled out of the country and causing serious problems for ordinary people.
The sharp depreciation of the rial currency over the past year has prompted smugglers to transport consumer goods, farm products and even livestock in large quantities to neighboring countries where they are sold at much higher prices, according to Financial Tribune.