Two in one day: Iraq busts major drug smuggle at Shalamcheh border

Shafaq News/ On Friday, Iraqi authorities intercepted a major drug smuggling attempt at the Shalamcheh border crossing in Basra province.

The Border Crossings Authority reported that officials arrested a foreign traveler after discovering 7,850 narcotic pills and 960 grams of crystal meth hidden inside pastries.

Authorities handed over the suspect—who used what they called a “professional method” of concealment—along with the seized substances to the Basra Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances for legal action.

Earlier today, authorities arrested another foreign traveler attempting to smuggle over 4,000 narcotic pills hidden in an electric food processor.

Iraq lies on key trafficking routes connecting Southwest Asia, the Gulf, and Europe. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has raised concerns about the country’s increasing role as a transit point for substances like Captagon and methamphetamine.

UNODC data also indicates a sharp increase in drug seizures, with warnings that Iraq may be evolving from a passageway into a site of production and growing domestic consumption.