Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah

Iraqi authorities declared on Monday seizing 16.8 tonnes of narcotics since 2023, dismantling an international trafficking network, and securing hundreds of death and life sentences against convicted drug traffickers.

During a joint press conference by the Iraqi Interior Ministry and the Kurdistan Region Security Agency (Asayish), Interior Ministry spokesperson Brigadier Abbas Bahadli said the latest operation dismantled a network that used Iraq as a transit route to smuggle narcotics and psychotropic substances into a neighbouring country. Authorities seized 38 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine concealed inside vehicle tyres and arrested members of the group.

Since 2023, Iraqi courts have issued 380 death sentences, 150 life sentences, and 190 international arrest warrants in drug trafficking cases.

Bahadli added that Iraq has opened 16 rehabilitation centres for drug users, treating about 9,500 people, more than 8,000 of whom have completed rehabilitation programmes.