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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) representatives met with Iraqi federal anti-narcotics officials in Baghdad on Tuesday to strengthen coordination in the fight against illicit drugs, stressing the need to increase cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) amid an ongoing nationwide crackdown.
During a meeting with the Iraqi General Directorate for Narcotics Affairs, officials discussed strengthening anti-narcotics cooperation and coordination between KRG institutions and federal authorities, according to a statement posted on Facebook by the KRG Coordinator for International Recommendations.
Officials also stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation with the UNODC as a “key international partner,” they stated, emphasizing "the importance of the participation of specialized institutions from the Kurdistan Region in relevant workshops, training courses, and national and international programs, particularly those provided by UNODC."
A 2024 report by the UNODC identified Iraq as a "conduit" for drug smuggling, serving both as a destination and transit route for narcotics circulating between Southwest Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and Europe.
Coordinator Dindar Zebari framed the establishment of “a continuous mechanism for coordination and the exchange of information and expertise, particularly between the specialized institutions of the Kurdistan Region and their Iraqi federal counterparts” as a core component underpinning cooperation.
For his part, the federal director-general of Anti-Narcotics Affairs Ahmed al-Zarkani expressed "his readiness to strengthen relations and joint action with the Kurdistan Regional Government, emphasizing the importance of continued coordination and the exchange of information and expertise."
Discussions also covered cooperation in areas of prevention, awareness, treatment, rehabilitation, and preventing the illicit trafficking of narcotics, with both sides committing to developing joint programs and activities.
To counter the trade, operations led by the Iraqi General Directorate for Narcotics Affairs have scaled to involve international coordination, establishing 36 liaison channels with foreign counterparts to strengthen intelligence sharing and field cooperation.
Iraq’s General Directorate for Narcotics Affairs in late August announced that 4,644 individuals have been sentenced for drug-related crimes since the start of the year, including 69 death sentences and 267 life sentences.
Authorities dismantled 304 local and 54 international networks during the campaigns. Additionally, the directorate carried out 21 external operations, established six contact points, and issued 43 international arrest warrants.
According to official figures, the Iraqi judiciary has handed down around 300 death sentences against major drug traffickers and network leaders, and 1,147 life imprisonment sentences - 20 years under Iraqi law - between late 2022 and late 2025. Those severe penalties accounted for the majority of the 2,318 total sentences issued in drug cases during that period.
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