Pill pushers pinned: Syria stops major narcotics flow to Iraq

Shafaq News/ Syrian security forces seized a large drug shipment destined for Iraq and arrested those involved, marking the second major anti-smuggling operation between the two countries in a week.

Aleppo’s provincial government announced on Telegram that the Anti-Narcotics Directorate, in coordination with the General Security Directorate, carried out the operation.

The bust follows Iraq’s interception of over a ton of Captagon tablets last week, smuggled from Syria via Turkiye—one of the largest drug seizures in recent years.

Drug smuggling from Syria to Iraq is facilitated by several factors, including porous borders and ongoing conflict. The Iraqi-Syrian border, spanning approximately 610 kilometers with 300 kilometers in Nineveh and 320 kilometers in Al-Anbar, is a key route for smuggling operations, including drugs, weapons, fighters, and other illicit activities.