‘Dangerous’ drug dealer arrested in Iraq's Babil

Shafaq News – Babil

Iraq’s security forces detained a “dangerous” drug dealer wanted on multiple charges, a security source told Shafaq News on Tuesday.

According to the source, the suspect was tracked to his home in Babil province, where an exchange of fire with security units erupted and lasted more than three hours.

The suspect—also wanted for murder and theft—then attempted to escape by crossing the roofs of nearby houses. He briefly held several residents hostage while negotiating with the surrounding forces, before being overpowered and arrested.

Weapons, hand grenades, explosives, and large quantities of compressed narcotics were also recovered at the scene.

Drug trafficking has surged across Iraq in recent years, with security officials warning that the country is becoming both a consumer market and a transit point for regional smuggling. A 2025 report by The Iraqi Strategic Center for Human Rights documented the dismantling of 230 trafficking networks over recent months, including 27 international groups.

Over the past three years, authorities have also detained 43,000 individuals for drug trafficking and possession, seizing more than 28 tons of narcotics and psychotropic substances, along with millions of illicit and hallucinogenic pills.

Read more: Iraq fights back against synthetic drug flood engulfing the Middle East