Over 50 kilograms of drugs seized in Iraq in three days: Minister

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s interior minister on Thursday announced that over 50 kilograms of narcotics have been seized across the country by security forces in the past three days. 

“The Directorate of Combating Narcotics has achieved success throughout Iraq, as 15 kilograms of crystal narcotic drugs were seized at dawn today,” Minister Abdul-Amir al-Shammari said during a visit to Dujail district in Salahaddin. 

“Over the past three days, more than 50 kilograms of drugs were seized in different areas,” he said. 

The rate of drug addicts and dealers has been on an alarming rise in Iraq in recent years, despite strict measures taken by the Iraqi government to curb the phenomenon.

In mid-July, Iraq’s Rapid Response Forces and the General Directorate of Narcotics Control carried out what was labeled as the country’s first seizure of a captagon laboratory, in Muthanna province. 

Prior to that, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani ordered the establishment of rehabilitation centers in all Iraqi provinces, excluding the Kurdistan Region, as part of his cabinet’s commitment to combating growing drug trade and use as seriously as the country fights terrorism.

In October, Iraqi security forces announced disbanding two “dangerous” drug-trafficking networks south of the country, arresting at least five suspects and seizing nearly 2,000 captagon pills.”