Kurdistan Region arrests 35 drug dealers, seizes 51 kg of narcotics
Shafaq News/ The Kurdistan Region's security forces arrested more than 30 drug dealers and seized over 50 kg of narcotics, the General Security Directorate (Asayish) said on Sunday.
In a press conference, Security Directorate officer Arkan Omar stated, "Asayish forces seized 51 kg of narcotics during security operations, including 49 kg of crystal meth and 2 kg of heroin."
The forces also arrested 35 individuals on drug trafficking charges, with a significant number reportedly being foreigners.
Drugs In The Kurdistan Region
Experts suggest that drug trafficking in the Kurdistan Region has expanded as the ongoing economic crisis has driven up unemployment and poverty, creating a fertile ground for traffickers who exploit the Region’s borders with Iran to the east, Syria to the west, and Turkiye to the north—key transit routes for the growing flow of narcotics.
According to security statistics from the Kurdistan Region provinces (Erbil, Al-Sulaymaniyah, Duhok, Halabja and the independent administrations of Garmian and Raparin) on drug-related cases between 2019 and 2023, submitted to the United Nations, drug seizures—including hashish, opium, heroin, crystal meth, and Captagon—have surged. In 2023 alone, authorities confiscated 2,708 kg of narcotics, up from just 206 kg in 2019.
Statistics from the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC)'s Anti-Narcotics Directorate revealed that nearly 700 people were arrested for drug trafficking in 2024. Over 1,311 individuals were detained for drug-related offenses, including 698 on trafficking charges, with 444 kg of narcotics seized.
In 2025, the Iraqi Interior Ministry announced plans for a major crackdown on drug traffickers, implementing modern intelligence strategies in coordination with security forces across all provinces, including the Kurdistan Region.
