Iraq security forces seize 160K Captagon pills, free kidnapped engineer

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi security forces carried out a series of operations across Al-Anbar, Basra and Najaf on Wednesday, resulting in drug seizures, arrests, the rescue of a kidnapped engineer, and the recovery of a ransom.

According to the Interior Ministry’s General Directorate for Narcotics Affairs, Al-Anbar directorate had foiled an attempt to smuggle 160,000 Captagon pills concealed inside a tanker truck arriving from a neighboring country.

Two suspects were arrested during the operation. Follow-up investigations led to the arrest of six more members of the network, bringing the total to eight.

In Basra, teams from the Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency freed an engineer who had been kidnapped in the province and arrested three alleged members of the group responsible. Authorities also recovered the 200 million Iraqi dinar (about $152,700) ransom.

In Najaf, Kufa district police arrested 36 people wanted by the courts on various charges and registered 33 firearms of different types as part of an initiative to bring weapons under state control. The arrests and weapons registration were part of police efforts to enforce court orders and strengthen security in the area, according to the provincial police command.