Iraq dismantles international drug trafficking network, seizes large quantity of Captagon

Shafaq News/ Iraq’s National Security Service (INSS) announced on Friday that it had dismantled an international drug trafficking network and seized a large quantity of Captagon pills hidden inside car tires and rice sacks in Najaf.

In a statement, INSS said its units in Najaf, following judicial approvals, successfully dismantled the drug network, arresting three suspects and seizing 200,000 Captagon pills in Baghdad.

“The drug traffickers used innovative smuggling methods, including hiding the drugs inside cargo vehicle tires and rice sacks for distribution to dealers.”

According to a recent report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Iraqi authorities seized a record 24 million Captagon pills in 2023 alone, amounting to more than 4.1 tons, with an estimated retail value between $84 million and $144 million.

The report highlighted that Captagon seizures in Iraq tripled between 2022 and 2023, with the quantities seized in 2023 being 34 times higher than in 2019.

Additionally, Iraq has become a transit point for highly addictive methamphetamine stimulants, which are predominantly manufactured in Afghanistan.