Shafaq News – Al-Sulaymaniyah

Kurdistan Region anti-narcotics forces arrested two men in al-Sulaymaniyah for drug trafficking, the Asayish General Directorate announced on Sunday.

In a statement, the directorate said a specialized team staged an ambush under judicial orders, seizing 19 kilograms of opium concealed in a cargo vehicle bound for transport outside the Region.

The suspects remain in custody under Article 25 of the Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law as investigations continue, it added.

The arrests came days after Labor and Social Affairs Minister Kwestan Mohammed warned that Kurdistan has become a major transit hub for narcotics moving to neighboring states and Canada. She recalled that Iraq and the Region were largely drug-free before 2003 but have since been overwhelmed by flows from Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.