Drug balloon carrying ~200K pills intercepted in Iraq

Shafaq News- Al-Anbar

Iraqi border forces on Saturday intercepted an airborne balloon carrying more than 34 kg of narcotic pills along the international border in western Al-Anbar.

The Border Forces Command said the shipment of more than 198,000 pills was blocked before it entered the country.

Smugglers have turned to airborne balloons to move drugs across Iraq’s borders, particularly along Syrian and Jordanian routes, to evade direct contact with border patrols, Brig. Gen. Akram Al-Rashid, director of Al-Anbar’s Anti-Narcotics Directorate, earlier told Shafaq News.

Last week, border forces intercepted another balloon carrying more than 33 kg of narcotics in western Al-Anbar. In April, they seized 154 kg of narcotics, including 893,000 pills, after detecting five balloons with surveillance systems and thermal cameras.

In the first quarter of 2026 alone, the ministry reported more than one ton of seized drugs and more than 3,500 arrests.