ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi security forces have dismantled a network accused of stealing and smuggling crude oil from a strategic pipeline in the southern province of Muthanna, the Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) said on Friday. "As part of the efforts to protect public wealth and combat smuggling, our teams were able to dismantle a criminal network that was stealing crude oil from a strategic pipeline in Muthanna province," INSS spokesperson Arshad Hakim told Rudaw’s Gashaw Khalid. "Initial investigations show that the gang's monthly income from stealing oil reached approximately 500 million Iraqi dinars [$382 thousand]," Hakim said, noting that security forces arrested four suspects and seized modified vehicles used to transport the stolen oil. Oil smuggling has long been a challenge for Iraq, draining state revenues in a country where crude accounts for more than 90 percent of exports. Security forces regularly carry out operations targeting networks accused of stealing and illegally transporting oil. "Technical experts indicate that due to the rusting around the punctured site, it is apparent this operation had been ongoing for a long time,” Hakim stated, adding that “both punctures have now been repaired, and the suspects have been referred to court." The network had turned a farm near the pipeline into a covert base for its operations, according to the INSS. The agency said in a statement on Facebook that the strategic pipeline runs from southern Iraq toward Haditha and is directly connected to the oil transport network serving northern parts of the country. Investigators found two separate breaches drilled into the main pipeline and connected to a concealed underground pipe extending around 270 meters into the farm. The network also modified trucks designed to transport cement, concealing the stolen crude inside their mixers in an apparent attempt to avoid detection at security checkpoints, according to the INSS.
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