UNODC Iran supports enhanced cooperation between Iranian and Russian counterparts to strengthen regional drug-control efforts

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the Islamic Republic of Iran, with cooperation of the Siberian Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, organized a five-day specialized training course for law enforcement experts and officers from the Anti-Narcotics Police of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in Krasnoyarsk – Russia, from 24 to 28 November 2025. 

The UNODC Iran has been actively present in the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1999 and considers Iran as one of the strategic partners for drug control and crime prevention in the region and has been supporting the Islamic Republic of Iran by providing technical assistance and training for years ever since its establishment. UNODC Iran has a longstanding record of cooperation with the Government of the Russian Federation, one of the key donors supporting its activities. This training marked the second programme conducted at this Institute with the valuable contributions of Russian experts and senior instructors.

The comprehensive curriculum of this training encompassed topics, inter alia: tactics of conducting certain investigative actions in the investigation of crimes related to drug trafficking; methods of investigating organized criminal activities related to drug trafficking; methods of crime investigation in the sphere of illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs; psychotropic substances and their analogues, new types of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their derivatives, analogues and precursors; technical means of detecting narcotic drugs, etc.

In addition to various lectures and specialized seminars and classes envisaged under the curriculum of this training, practical visits and trainings were foreseen for the members of the delegation, which significantly enriched the courses, and complemented the theoretical section.
On the last day of the event, an international round-table was held on “Countering drug trafficking in the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran”, in which the instructors and members of the Iranian delegation took the opportunity to share information and ideas.

In a message, the Deputy Regional Representative for Afghanistan, Central Asia, Iran and Pakistan, Mr. Alexander Fedulov, highlighted the threats posed by drugs and organized crime as well as the effects they have on all aspects of societies, from security and safety to health and development, which need broader international cooperation. In his message it was stated that due to its unique geographical location, Iran bears a great responsibility, and at the same time, it has shown great commitment in fight against drugs and crimes. 

At graduation ceremony the certificates of the participants from the Islamic Republic of Iran were handed over by the Police Colonel Alexei Kalugin, the Acting Head of the Siberian Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, in Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation. Cooperation of UNODC Iran and academies and academia in and from the Russian Federation lies under the UNODC Country Partnership Programme of UNODC Iran in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The advanced training, held in this Institute from 24 to 28 November 2025, was made possible with generous funding received from the Russian Federation, and invaluable support and coordination extended to UNODC from the Russian Embassy in Tehran.