Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq is widening its international anti-narcotics reach, opening new liaison points in Germany, Australia, and Niger, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.

In a press briefing, General Muqdad Miri, director of the ministry’s Public Relations and Media Department, noted that security forces have seized 1,307 kilograms of narcotics, stressing that the rise in confiscations reflects expanded operations rather than an increase in domestic drug use or distribution.

Courts have issued 2,020 convictions in drug-related cases, including 34 death sentences and 137 life imprisonment rulings, along with 1,849 additional custodial sentences. Authorities are also holding 4,200 suspects, with investigations ongoing in several cases.

Security forces, he added, have dismantled 193 trafficking networks, including 35 operating internationally, while the remainder were domestic groups.

Miri indicated that tighter enforcement and reduced supply have driven up prices, with crystal meth now selling for about 130,000 Iraqi dinars ($99) per gram.

Drug trafficking has expanded across Iraq in recent years, with security officials warning that the country is increasingly functioning as both a consumer market and a transit route for regional smuggling. Interior Ministry data previously showed that more than 1,200 domestic and international networks have been dismantled over the past three years, while authorities have seized over 14 tons of narcotics.

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