Shafaq News/ Two drug dealers were arrested after a chase that extended from Diyala province to the capital Baghdad on Friday.
An informed source told Shafaq News that the anti-drug department's security teams tracked down the two drug dealers in Diyala and followed them as they tried to escape to the New Baghdad area on the east side of the capital, where they finally arrested them.
The source also said that the security forces confiscated a large amount of crystal meth and drug paraphernalia from the suspects. The detainees were taken to a security center for further investigation and legal action.
Drug trafficking is a growing problem in Iraq, which has become a transit point for illicit drugs from neighboring countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkey.
The Iraqi government has been trying to combat drug trafficking with various measures, such as enacting a new anti-drug law in 2017, launching a hotline for citizens to report drug-related crimes, and conducting awareness campaigns. The security forces have also seized large amounts of drugs and weapons and arrested several drug dealers. However, the challenges of security, corruption, and weak border control remain obstacles to effectively addressing this issue.