TEHRAN, July 27: Iran executed 29 convicted drug smugglers and other criminals in the Evin prison at dawn on Sunday, state media reported, following an expanded crackdown on crime.

Sunday’s executions all took place at 5:10am, said state broadcaster IRIB. Executions of a handful of people at the same time are often reported but rarely a group this large.

“The 29 who were executed this morning were involved in the smuggling of narcotics on a wide scale, organised crime, murder and armed robbery,” Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi was quoted as saying by state radio.

Police have in recent weeks arrested dozens of people in a new drive against “immoral behaviour” in Iran. Iran had said on Saturday it planned to execute 30 people for murder, rape, drug smuggling and other crimes.

“We are hoping Tehran will become the most unsafe place for drug dealers, thugs and trouble-makers and also violators of people’s honour,” Mortazavi said.

“These convicts had long criminal records and after being released from prison they returned to the same criminal activities,” he said.

IRIB said they “had smuggled thousands of kilos of narcotics in the country and outside the country” and that some of them were also convicted of rape, murder, armed robbery and “disrupting public security and peace”.—Agencies