Background and purpose: Targeted fight against drugs and its transit challenges in the internal arenas and internal security environment is of considerable importance, and it is necessary to calculate these challenges and then make policies to solve them.Methodology: This research was conducted with a qualitative approach and content analysis method. The participants were experts and specialists of the Anti-Narcotics Committee of East Azarbaijan Province, who conducted the research with targeted sampling and semi-structured interviews until reaching theoretical saturation with a statistical sample of 14 people. Data analysis was done with MAXQDA software.Findings: The challenges of transit control and drug trafficking are defined in the fields of human resources, equipment and new technologies, laws and regulations, training and structural.Conclusion: The results showed: 1- motivational, management and leadership challenges, employee deviation and upcoming challenges in the selection of efficient resources in the field of human resources, 2- challenges related to the field of new technical tools and equipment and Challenges related to new information systems in the field of new equipment and technologies, 3- Challenges in providing and allocating required human and credit resources and structural problems of the devices responsible for transit control in the field of structure, 4- Challenges existing in the field of virtual and face-to-face education in the field of training and education, and finally 5- the challenges in the text and implementation of the law in the field of laws and regulations were identified.

The linkage between terrorism and drugs in Central Asia is commonly based upon a simplified perception of Afghanistan’ s situation. Accordingly the violation that is derived from the drug trafficking in the region is usually understood within the same conceptual framework. The present literature addressed the concept of Narco-terrorism and believes that drug trade is not the main factor for terrorist activities in Central Asia. The authors try to find an answer for the following question: How does drug trafficking from Central Asian corridors impact the spread of terrorism in the region? The authors argue that drug trafficking through the Central Asian corridors, facilitate the terrorism in the region but still the violations are less relevant to transnational terrorist groups and more linked to indigenous combatant ones. Using descriptive-analytical methodology and library resources, the authors try to tell why the research findings provide an answer to the research question.

As one of the criminal justice organizations with the goal to reduce drug trafficking, Police have interventions to increase the cost of drugs and the amount of drug seizures to create obstacles in the process of drug trafficking. These interventions cause the unintended consequences which have not been paid attention in the codification of programs. The question of the present paper is to study the quiddity of The unintended consequences of police controls over drug markets and the degree of their importance for determining the amount of the effectiveness of these programs. For response to this research question, it is used the qualitative methods and specially in-depth interview with 68 drug dealer and drug users in drug trafficking (27 drug dealers and 41 drug users) and 20 residents in the drug trafficking neighborhood (Darvaze Ghar and Shoosh neighborhoods). Findings indicate that the policing strategies in controlling drug trafficking cause the drug users commit the different offences to provide their (addictive) drug. Also, the Police Interventions because of non-observance of the interventions to reduce damages cause the health damages and even the death of drug users.

A B S T R A C T Background and Aim: The smuggling of addictive substances in the border villages has involved a large part of the population and the institutions in charge. The present research was conducted with the aim of dealing with organized drug trafficking strategies in the border villages of West Azarbaijan province. Methodology: This research was carried out in the framework of the qualitative approach and data research method of the foundation. The participants were 14 experts from the anti-narcotics police and border guard command of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as traffickers and drug-related criminals, who were selected using a purposeful sampling method until theoretical saturation was reached. The data collection tool was semi-structured interview and data analysis in MAXQDA software platform. Results: The findings showed that the natural geographical situation, long borders and border gaps, facilitation of the smuggling process by agents located at the border and the support of organized groups as causal factors, weakness in border control and structure of fighting forces, poverty, unemployment and the disorderly situation of the border residents, the existence of exchange capacities in the border and the social connections of the border residents with the other side of the border as background factors and finally the lack of government services, the disfunctional family, the weakness of laws and regulations, the weakness of cultural and religious values and the low level of awareness as intervening factors have a significant effect on the commission of drug crimes in border villages. Conclusion: It is necessary to establishing stricter laws to prevent traffickers from abusing legal gaps, strengthening police and confrontational equipment at the borders, encouraging neighboring countries to seriously fight against drugs through international institutions, and creating suitable platforms for more participation of border residents to control the borders and also development-oriented approaches to create employment and poverty alleviation of the border dwellers in order to prevent drug trafficking in the border villages   Extended Abstract Introduction Currently, drug trafficking and the tendency to commit other crimes in the borders of Iran, especially the western and northwestern borders of the country, are affected by two categories of human and natural geographical factors, which have made it difficult to manage and control the borders. Of course, the presence of hostile groups has fueled the organization of drug crimes and drug trafficking and has increased the importance of this issue. West Azarbaijan province and its border villages are involved in drug trafficking due to the special geomorphological conditions and the length of the border strip of more than 967 kilometers with neighboring countries as well as numerous human factors. The aim of the current research is to identify the strategies to deal with organized drug trafficking in the border villages of West Azarbaijan province.   Methodology This research was carried out in the framework of the qualitative approach and data research method of the foundation. The participants were 14 experts from the anti-narcotics police and border guard command of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as traffickers and drug-related criminals, who were selected using a purposeful sampling method until theoretical saturation was reached. The data collection tool was semi-structured interview and data analysis in MAXQDA software platform.   Results and discussion The findings showed that the natural geographical situation, long borders and border gaps, facilitation of the smuggling process by agents located at the border and the support of organized groups as causal factors, weakness in border control coverage, weakness in the structure of fighting forces, poverty, unemployment and the disorderly situation of the border residents, the existence of exchange capacities in the border and the social connections of the border residents with the other side of the border as background   factors and finally the lack of level of government services, the disordered family situation, the weakness of laws and regulations, the weakness of cultural and religious values and the low level of awareness as intervening factors have a significant effect on the commission of drug crimes in border villages. The consequences included security-police, personal-social and economic consequences. Law enforcement-security approach, public awareness, legislation and economic approach were proposed as coping strategies with the central phenomenon.   Conclusion It is necessary to establishing stricter laws to prevent traffickers from abusing legal gaps for drug trafficking, strengthening police and confrontational equipment at the borders, encouraging neighboring countries to seriously fight against drugs through international institutions, and creating suitable platforms for more participation of border residents and indigenous people to control the borders and also development-oriented approaches to create employment and poverty alleviation of the border dwellers in order to prevent drug trafficking in the border villages of west Azarbaijan.   Funding There is no funding support.   Authors’ Contribution All of the authors approved the content of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work.   Conflict of Interest Authors declared no conflict of interest.   Acknowledgments We are grateful to all the staff of the anti-narcotics police and border guard command of the Islamic Republic of Iran who helped the researchers in conducting this research.

Background and Objectives: Islamic Republic of Iran has common borderlines with the world’s biggest drug-producer; therefore, Iran has borne the most security and policing damages. One of the most important factors in this regard, is geographical conditions, especially geomorphological conditions of the borders in south-east of Iran. Expansion of units such as hot and vast deserts, mountainous regions and other topographies are the result of geomorphological process dominant  in the region, which have established suitable circumstances for the drug traffickers, and through benefiting such circumstances, they perform their inhuman activities. The present research aims at studying the impact of topography, capabilities and limitations resulted from those forms on drug trafficking.Method: The research method in the framework of collecting information is based on field studies (visiting the borderline from Zohak to Jaleq in Sistan and Baluchestan) and literature reviews through using description-analytical method based on systematic approach. The physical tool used in the research includes geology maps at scale of 1:100,000, topography at scale of 1:50000, the satellite image of the region, and some documents related to the region.Findings: Results indicated that it is through full familiarity with the region that the drug traffickers perform their activities; therefore, the military and police forces should get more familiar topography and geomorphology of the region to manage their missions.

Since 1984, the Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK has been waging an armed struggle against the central government of Turkey to gain autonomy in the Kurdistan region of Turkey, and for this purpose, the Kurdistan Workers' Party has been listed as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union, and several other countries. Therefore, in order to maintain themselves in the heart of power, Kurdish parties are trying to secure their financial resources through drug trafficking. This action, in turn, provided them with the financial resources they needed and also damaged their ideology among the countries. This research tries to investigate the effects of drug trafficking for the PKK terrorist group using the descriptive-analytical method and using the cost-benefit theory. Therefore, he has collected the necessary information from books, articles and internet sources. The question is, what approach did the PKK terrorist group adopt towards drug trafficking? And what has been the cost and benefit for this group? The working hypothesis states that PKK has a political-economic approach to drug trafficking, because drug trafficking provides financial expenses, purchase of military weapons, faster recruitment, strengthening its position among Kurdish parties, among other important things. The most important benefits of drug trafficking for this group and on the other hand being called terrorism, contamination of the Kurdish language and their forces, military tensions for the purpose of drug transit, reduction of political legitimacy among the people are among the most important costs. to mention.

Background and purpose With the increasing use of cryptocurrencies, various aspects of this technology, including its potential to facilitate organized crimes such as drug trafficking, have gained attention. This research aims to develop future scenarios for the use of cryptocurrencies in drug trafficking and presents plausible scenarios in this area. Research: This research is applied and based on a mixed-methods approach (qualitative and quantitative). In the first phase, effective drivers were identified through in-depth interviews with 23 experts, including specialists in blockchain technology, cybercrime, and social security. In the second phase, the cross-impact analysis of the drivers was conducted using SPSS and MICMAC software, and plausible scenarios were developed. Findings The findings emphasize the necessity of developing comprehensive laws, international coordination, and the development of advanced monitoring technologies to combat the illegal use of cryptocurrencies. This research helps policymakers adopt more effective strategies to manage this global challenge. Results The results indicated that 10 key drivers, including «easy access, » «legal loopholes, » and «decentralization, » have a significant impact on the future use of cryptocurrencies in drug trafficking. The «easy access» driver had the highest direct impact ranking, and the «technological advancements» driver had the highest indirect impact ranking. Additionally, the impact analysis showed that legal loopholes and easy access to cryptocurrencies play a fundamental role in developing scenarios. Four main scenarios were developed by combining two key drivers: easy access and legal loopholes. The «traffickers› paradise» scenario represents a situation where cryptocurrencies are easily accessible and laws are inadequate, while the «struggle in the shadows» scenario emphasizes the difficulty of accessing these currencies alongside legal loopholes.

Background and Objective: Identifying and understanding the location of crime and its causes can lead to the control, prevention and reduction of urban crime. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to identify and analyze the narcotics trafficking crimes in Urumieh, Piranshahr, Sardasht and Maku. Method: The research method is applied in terms of its purpose and in terms of the nature of the data analyzing is a quantitative, descriptive-analytical study. The statistical society includes all prisoners of drug trafficking in the border towns of West Azarbaijan province in 1395 with 8026 people, 366 of whom were selected by the sampling method. SPSS22 software was used for data analysis and ArcGIS software was used for spatial analysis and mass mapping. Findings: The place of drug trafficking and most of the narcotics trafficking offenses are in the marginal areas or regions of old texture and the number of crimes varies overnight and relative to the occupational status of the perpetrators. About 98 percent of criminals do not have a stable job and source of income, and most criminals live in marginalized areas or areas with old and fading urban border areas. Conclusion: Prevention and control of drug trafficking at the level of border towns need to increase the level of economic security, poverty eradication and the reduction of border areas, strengthening the facilities, equipment and resources of the NGO and the organization of law enforcement.

Abstract Drug trafficking is one of the main problems in Central Asia, and addressing it requires huge efforts. However, the efficiency of these efforts is doubtful, since the more effort, the more adaptive drug trafficking becomes. In Central Asia, this problem is associated with both historical prerequisites and the socio-economic situation in the region. This article discusses drug trafficking in Central Asia as an economic phenomenon and identifies the key factors that enable public policy to be more efficient in this field. The authors have analyzed the main strategy for the development of Central Asian countries and the development of synergistic actions system for developed economies (the main consumers of Afghan drugs), which may contribute to a significant reduction in drug trafficking. The major contribution of the article is in the analysis of existing and possible new routes of drug trafficking and the development of an index to assess the country's attractiveness for drug traffickers. The authors have identified two new routes and emphasized the downward trend in the attractiveness of the traditional Northern route. The novelty of the article lies in the developed conceptual models: drug circle; upstream – midstream – downstream drug trafficking; the Index of Drug Trafficking Attractiveness.