ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi security forces on Friday dismantled a drug trafficking network and arrested 31 suspects in Iraq's southern Diwaniyah province, as authorities intensify operations to curb the spread of narcotics in the country.
“Units in Diwaniyah province dismantled a network engaged in drug trafficking and distribution and arrested 31 accused persons,” the Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) announced, noting that “seized in their possession were quantities of crystal methamphetamine and narcotic pills, in addition to paraphernalia used for drug consumption, with a total weight of approximately one kilogram.”
The busts come amid an ongoing nationwide crackdown on narcotics in Iraq, which a 2024 United Nations report identified as a major drug trafficking "conduit" connecting Southwest Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and Europe.
Interior ministry spokesperson Miqdad Miri announced on Monday that operations between January and October have "yielded outstanding security results," leading to the seizure of approximately 2.8 tons of narcotics and the sentencing of 6,045 defendants by the Iraqi judiciary, including 348 life sentences and 86 death sentences.
To counter rising domestic consumption and a surge in narcotics from neighboring countries, anti-drug operations have scaled up internationally, with Iraqi security bodies establishing 36 liaison channels with foreign counterparts.
In November 2025, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said courts had issued 2,318 sentences in drug-related cases over the previous three years, including 300 death sentences and 1,147 life sentences.
