Iraq intensifies anti-drug trafficking efforts
Shafaq News/ Iraqi security forces have successfully shut down a major smuggling route along the Syrian border, a local official announced on Thursday.
"This achievement is the result of intensive efforts to strengthen security measures and establish full control over the border," said Imad al-Dulaimi, the district administrator of Ar-Rutbah city, speaking to Shafaq News. "The security belts are now stronger and more organized to protect the area from various threats," he added.
Al-Dulaimi explained that the closure is part of a broader strategy to ensure long-term stability and security in the district and surrounding areas.
The announcement came just one day after the Interior Ministry's General Directorate for Drug and Psychotropic Substances revealed the issuance of international arrest warrants for several drug traffickers.
"We have implemented advanced techniques that allow us to apprehend suspects within 24 hours," said Directorate spokesperson Hussein al-Tamimi. "This year will be particularly tough for drug traffickers."
These efforts align with Iraq's ongoing commitment to combating drug trafficking. Al-Tamimi noted that the ministry has intensified collaboration with Arab and foreign countries through formal agreements and memoranda of understanding, resulting in the successful extradition of multiple suspects wanted by Iraqi courts.
On Tuesday, Iraqi authorities seized more than 200 kilograms of Captagon pills and dismantled a drug trafficking network operating across Nineveh and Kirkuk. The operation, carried out in coordination with the Iraqi National Intelligence Service and the Kurdistan Region's Anti-Narcotics Directorate in Erbil, led also to the arrest of three suspected traffickers.
