Iraq reports first 'magic mushroom' drug bust in Sulaimani

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's General Directorate of Narcotics Affairs seized one kilogram of hallucinogenic mushrooms in a joint operation with security forces in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani province, a spokesperson told Rudaw on Thursday, noting that the seizure is the first of its kind for this specific contraband in the country. 

Iraqi and Kurdish anti-drug forces in Kirkuk and Sulaimani “seized one kilogram of ‘magic mushrooms’ and two kilograms of marijuana in Sulaimani,” Abbas al-Bahadli told Rudaw’s Nahro Mohammed, adding that a “drug dealer” was arrested in connection with the operation.

Magic mushrooms are fungi containing naturally occurring psychedelic compounds - primarily psilocybin and psilocin - that alter perception, thought, and mood for several hours when ingested.

The substances are prohibited under the United Nations' 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which bars member states from authorizing their production, trade, possession, and non-medical use.

Drug trafficking in Iraq is dominated by synthetic stimulants like Captagon - a highly addictive amphetamine-type stimulant - and crystal methamphetamine, alongside cannabis derivatives and opioids.

Captagon accounts for the overwhelming majority of drug seizures in Iraq by both weight and tablet count, with over 4.1 million pills confiscated since January, according to Iraqi authorities.

"They will have no safe haven, regardless of their attempts to hide their substances under strange names or new methods," Bahadli said in reference to drug dealers. "Changing names and devising new ways to distribute their poisons will not protect them from security forces."

Last week, Bahadli told Rudaw that authorities had confiscated two tons and 370 kilograms of narcotics over the past eight months, since the start of 2026.

He added that 4,644 individuals have been sentenced on drug trafficking and use charges in the same period - 69 of them to death and 267 to life imprisonment.

In the same period, security forces dismantled 304 local networks and 54 international ones, conducted 21 operations outside Iraq, and issued 43 international arrest warrants.

Of note, a 2024 report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) identified Iraq as a drug smuggling "conduit," serving as both a destination and transit route for narcotics moving between Southwest Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and Europe.

The Iraqi General Directorate for Narcotics Affairs has expanded its international reach, establishing 36 liaison channels with foreign counterparts to strengthen intelligence sharing and field cooperation.