Shafaq News – Baghdad

On Thursday, Iraqi Border Forces thwarted an attempt to smuggle narcotics using a balloon along the frontier, only two days after foiling a similar operation.

In a statement, the Border Force command said 80,000 pills concealed in small bags were seized, affirming that repeated smuggling efforts will not breach the monitoring system.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Salih Mahdi al-Hasnawi declared destroying more than 25 tons of narcotics under the current government, in cooperation with specialized agencies.

For decades, Iraq was regarded primarily as a transit route for drugs moving from Afghanistan and Iran to Europe and Gulf states. Since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, however, the country has increasingly become a consumer market, driven by instability, insecurity, and economic hardship.

Read more: Iraq fights back against synthetic drug flood engulfing the Middle East

The General Directorate of Narcotics Control earlier seized 88 kg of drugs in several areas, including 38 kg of Captagon in Kuwait, in coordination with the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior.