Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi security forces arrested 11 suspected drug traffickers for operating distribution networks across Baghdad, Iraq’s Military Intelligence Directorate announced on Saturday.

In a statement, the directorate said that joint units established surprise checkpoints in several districts, leading to the detention of individuals accused of selling narcotics in multiple areas. The suspects were identified as members of organized groups active citywide and were transferred, along with confiscated substances, to the competent judicial authorities.

Authorities have repeatedly warned that Iraq is increasingly becoming both a consumer market and a transit route for regional drug smuggling. In the first quarter of 2025, security agencies recorded 3,006 arrests and seized more than 2.1 tons of narcotics, while in November 2025, forces dismantled 1,200 trafficking networks. Over the past three years, approximately 43,000 people have been detained and more than 28 tons of drugs, in addition to millions of illicit pills, have been confiscated.

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