ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi security forces killed two high-profile drug traffickers during a raid in southeastern Maysan province, the Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) said on Friday, as authorities intensify crackdown on narcotics networks.
The INSS announced that as part of their ongoing efforts to pursue organized crime rings and drug traffickers, it “executed a targeted security operation resulting in the deaths of two of the most dangerous drug dealers in the al-Uzair area of Maysan province.”
Security services identified “the primary dealer of crystal meth in Iraq” under the nickname Abu Futaim, who was wanted by the judiciary under Article 27 of the Anti-Narcotics Law and considered one of the largest distributors of illicit drugs across all governorates.
Iraq remains both a destination and a transit route for narcotics, notorious for serving as a “conduit,” for drug flow between Southwest Asia, Arabian Peninsula, and Europe, as well as Captagon trafficking from Syria and rising domestic consumption, according to a report by the United Nations Office in 2024 on drug trafficking dynamics across Iraq and the Middle East.
Acting on intelligence from multiple security branches, authorities tracked down the suspects and lured them to the Qal'at Saleh area of Maysan province for arrest, the INSS said.
The Security service outlined that as its forces moved in, “the suspects opened fire on the security forces,” provoking “an armed clash with a tactical regiment force, ending in the immediate death of both suspects.”
Iraq’s interior ministry announced in late April that authorities had dismantled more than 1,500 drug trafficking networks since 2023, including several operating across international borders.
Ministry spokesperson Abbas al-Bahadli said the three-year campaign resulted in 349 death sentences and 1,325 life sentences for convicted traffickers.
According to the ministry, 1,538 networks were dismantled during this period, including 234 transnational groups. Security forces have carried out 61 operations abroad as part of the crackdown.
