A drug trafficking gang arrested in Baghdad

Shafaq News/ on Friday, the Iraqi forces dismantled an international drug trafficking network and seized over two million narcotic pills.

The Iraqi Security Media Cell announced that the Iraqi National Intelligence Service raided a hideout and arrested key drug traffickers associated with an international network.

The Service also confiscated over two million narcotic pills intended for distribution across several Iraqi governorates.

During the recent period, Iraqi authorities intensified efforts to combat the drug scourge, marked by increased arrests of smugglers, border crossing closures to counter smuggling, and the confiscation of substantial quantities of narcotics, particularly Captagon.

Assistant Director-General of the Directorate of Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, Maj. Gen. Hamid Nahiwi Nayef reported to Shafaq News Agency that drug trade rates have “decreased in Iraq by more than 70%,” attributing this to the security efforts.

Nayef highlighted that achievements in 2023 alone are equivalent to those made in the past decade.

Furthermore, the Iraqi official noted the daily arrest of 50-70 drug traffickers and users and a recent seizure of approximately 400,000 narcotic pills in Al-Anbar governorate, along with an additional one million pills intended for smuggling to Kuwait.

In late 2023, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced judgments against 7,397 individuals for the year.