Iraq destroys large quantities of drugs in Basra, arrests traffickers in Nineveh

Shafaq News/ Iraqi authorities have destroyed a large cache of narcotics in Basra and arrested three drug traffickers in Nineveh, officials said on Wednesday.

Zaman Mahmoud Jassim, rapporteur of Iraq’s Committee on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, said at a press conference in Basra that 238 kilograms of various drugs, including hashish, crystal meth, heroin, and cocaine, were destroyed over the past week.

Authorities also incinerated 99,300 narcotic pills, over 23 liters of liquid crystal meth, and more than 18,000 doses of an eye-drop drug classified as a controlled substance.

“The destruction campaign was carried out in coordination with relevant authorities as part of broader government efforts to curb drug abuse and trafficking,” Jassim said.

She noted that among the key substances destroyed was 23.8 liters of liquid crystal meth, which traffickers often smuggle in liquid form to bypass checkpoints and drug-sniffing K9 units.

Separately, in northern Iraq, the General Directorate for Drug Affairs in Nineveh announced the arrest of three drug traffickers.

Authorities confiscated 20 kilograms of crystal meth from the suspects, working in coordination with the Sulaymaniyah Anti-Narcotics Directorate, the directorate said in a statement.