Iraq intercepts 33 kg of drugs smuggled by balloons

Shafaq News- Al-Anbar

Iraqi border forces thwarted an attempt to smuggle more than 33 kilograms of narcotics using a balloon along the international border in western Al-Anbar province, the Border Forces revealed on Thursday.

In a statement, the forces said the smuggled balloon was carrying a total of over 195,000 drug pills.

Earlier in January, Iraqi border forces also foiled two attempts to smuggle narcotics into the country using airborne balloons along the western border of Al-Anbar.

Smugglers recently turned to airborne balloons to move drugs across Iraq’s borders, particularly along Syrian and Jordanian routes, to evade direct contact with border patrols, Brig. Gen. Akram Al-Rashid, director of Al-Anbar’s Anti-Narcotics Directorate, told Shafaq News in November 2025. 

Read more: The Smuggler's Almanac: Iraq's war against narco-innovation