Iraqi authorities seize 2.5 million Captagon pills in Najaf and Al-Anbar

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi General Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Affairs seized Captagon pills in the governorates of Najaf and Al-Anbar.

In a statement, the directorate said it formed a "specialized task force which carried out a precise intelligence operation resulting in the seizure of 2.5 million Captagon pills."

On Monday, a security source told Shafaq News Agency that the Najaf Anti-Narcotics Directorate apprehended a drug trafficking network, one of whom is a foreign national and two from Kufa."

Earlier this May, the spokesperson of the Interior Ministry revealed that nearly 100 individuals – both Iraqi citizens and foreign nationals – were sentenced to death or life imprisonment on drug trafficking charges between 2023 and 2024, 

In a press conference held in Baghdad, Brigadier General Mokdad Meri described drug trafficking as a "critical threat" to Iraq's national security, vowing that authorities would maintain "high pressure" on drug networks.

Meri highlighted recent successes in the crackdown, including the seizure of 8 kilograms of narcotics and 200,000 psychoactive pills within a single week. "These operations resulted in the apprehension of 123 suspects," he said.

Notably, Iraq's drug problem has reached critical levels. 

In a 2021 report, the UNODC highlighted the alarming rise of crystal meth in Iraq, warning that it is now manufactured domestically in southern border governorates.

 In December 2023, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani urged the country's president to ratify all death sentences for convicted drug traffickers, calling it necessary to "implement the law and be a deterrent to anyone who dares to threaten the security of the country and its people."