Iraq dismantles international drug network in Basra, seizes 170 kg of captagon

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Ministry of Interior's General Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances announced, on Sunday, the dismantling of an international drug trafficking network in Basra Province.

The Directorate stated, "A high-profile operation was carried out in Basra over the past few hours, following the formation of a specialized task force within the General Directorate's special investigations unit, acting on intelligence directives from the Director-General for Drug Affairs."

The statement added, "The operation led to the arrest of four drug traffickers, including a foreign national, dismantling their international network, and the seizure of 170 kilograms of captagon pills."

A 2024 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report highlighted a dramatic rise in drug trafficking, especially captagon, in Iraq and the broader Middle East. Between 2019 and 2023, Iraq's captagon seizures surged by over 3,380%, with over 4.1 tons seized in 2023 alone, reflecting Iraq’s role as a key transit point for regional drug flows.

In response to escalating domestic consumption and trafficking, Iraqi authorities have ramped up enforcement, with over 43,000 arrests on drug-related charges from 2019 to 2022, and a call from Prime Minister Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani to ratify death sentences for convicted drug traffickers as a deterrent.