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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi anti-narcotics forces have arrested three international drug traffickers and seized five kilograms of crystal meth across two separate operations in Baghdad, the Interior Ministry’s General Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Affairs announced on Saturday.
The operations were carried out by the Rusafa Directorate of Narcotics Affairs following what the directorate described in a statement as precise intelligence work and close-field surveillance. “During the operations, they succeeded in apprehending three international traffickers and seizing 5 kg of crystal meth in their possession,” read the statement.
The directorate said the operations dealt two targeted blows to drug trafficking networks operating in the capital, adding that the suspects were involved in schemes to peddle and distribute narcotics.
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.
To counter rising domestic consumption and a surge in narcotics from neighbouring countries, Iraqi authorities have intensified their campaign against domestic and cross-border drug trafficking, with the country’s security bodies establishing 36 liaison channels with foreign counterparts.
The country announced the seizure of approximately 2.8 tons of narcotics between January and October 2026, according to figures by Interior Ministry spokesperson Miqdad Miri late last month.
During the same period, Iraqi courts issued sentences against 6,045 defendants in drug-related cases, including 348 life sentences and 86 death sentences, according to Miri.
In Saturday's statement, the narcotics directorate noted that the recent Baghdad arrests followed continuous intelligence monitoring of the suspects' movements, adding that dismantling international networks, cutting off their funding sources, and prosecuting traffickers remain an ongoing security priority.
The directorate has expanded public awareness programs recently, focusing on young adults through university seminars, social media campaigns, posters, and television advertisements.
This comes as the Iraqi interior minister, Yasser al-Maliki, last week announced the “launch of our war against drugs and their trafficking,” adding that the campaign aims to “protect our society from the dangers of these deadly poisons.”
