Iraq arrests foreign traveler with over 4,500 drug pills at Shalamcheh border

Shafaq News/ Iraqi border authorities arrested a foreign traveler attempting to smuggle thousands of drug pills into the country through the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran.

In a statement, the Border Crossings Authority said its officers at the Shalamcheh checkpoint apprehended the traveler in possession of 4,575 narcotic pills hidden inside an electric appliance.

Authorities said the suspect and the seized narcotics were referred to the Basra Directorate for Drugs and Psychotropic Substances for further investigation.

Iraq lies at the heart of several transnational drug routes linking Southwest Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and Europe. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the country has increasingly become a transit point for illegal substances, especially Captagon and methamphetamine, fueling regional organized crime and armed groups. UNODC data shows a sharp rise in drug seizures in recent years, with authorities warning of Iraq’s growing role not just as a trafficking corridor but also as a potential site for drug production and consumption.