Iraq intercepts 1.7 tons of drugs, issues 42 death sentences in 2026 crackdown
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Anti-narcotics units in Iraq’s Interior Ministry seized more than 1.697 tons of drugs during 2026 and carried out operations inside and outside the country as part of a broad campaign targeting trafficking networks and drug distribution across Iraq, the ministry stated on Thursday.
Brig. Gen. Abbas Al-Bahadli, director of relations and media at the General Directorate for Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, told Shafaq News that the Iraqi judiciary played a “key role in supporting anti-drug efforts through arrest warrants, court rulings, and legal procedures,” noting that Iraqi courts issued 42 death sentences and 357 life imprisonment rulings this year against convicted drug traffickers.
“The directorate carried out 12 operations outside Iraq in 2026 in coordination with regional and international security agencies,” he added.
Syrian authorities have repeatedly announced the interception of drug smuggling operations carried out in coordination with Iraq, while Iraqi authorities have also conducted joint operations with neighboring countries, including Syria and Saudi Arabia, to combat cross-border trafficking networks.
Al-Bahadli said Iraq opened four new external coordination points this year in Australia, Austria, Niger, and Finland to enhance intelligence-sharing and field coordination.
He clarified that anti-drug forces engaged in 25 clashes with trafficking networks, resulting in the death of one Iraqi security officer and injuries to 22 others, while three traffickers were killed and 20 were wounded.
According to Al-Bahadli, recent security operations forced trafficking networks to adopt new smuggling methods, including the use of hot-air balloons.
Earlier this week, Iraq’s Border Forces Command announced the interception of two balloon-based smuggling attempts involving around 325,000 narcotic pills detected by thermal cameras before reaching their targets.
Al-Bahadli explained that Iraqi security forces have shifted “from defense and containment to confrontation and preemptive operations before drugs enter Iraq,” urging citizens to report drug trafficking and abuse cases while guaranteeing confidentiality for informants.
Alongside security measures, he said the directorate currently operates 16 rehabilitation centers providing psychological, medical, and social treatment. The centers have rehabilitated more than 7,000 drug users since 2023 through psychological treatment programs, vocational training, and educational support, according to the official.
Iraq expands addiction treatment and rehabilitation programs under a broader government strategy combining security measures with psychological and medical approaches amid growing concerns over rising drug abuse and its links to violence and crime. Under Article 40 of Iraq’s Anti-Narcotics Law No. 50 of 2017, drug users who voluntarily surrender themselves are exempt from criminal prosecution and referred to treatment and rehabilitation centers. Article 37 also exempts some individuals involved in trafficking networks from punishment if they report the networks before being arrested, with al-Bahadli urging both users and those involved in trafficking to take advantage of the provision.
