ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi security forces arrested three suspected international drug traffickers of foreign nationality following an exchange of gunfire in the country's territorial waters, recovering 30 kilograms of drugs that the suspects had thrown into the sea, the country's anti-drug directorate announced Sunday.
In a statement, the country’s General Directorate for Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Affairs said that the confrontation took place in open waters and involved an exchange of gunfire, adding that the forces engaged the suspects “in accordance with the rules of engagement.” One suspect was wounded during the exchange of gunfire.
“In a desperate attempt to cover up their crime, the suspects threw the narcotics into the sea, assuming the waters would serve as a veil to cover their tracks,” read the statement, adding that the security forces could retrieve 30 kilograms of narcotics from the seabed and arrest the suspects.
The statement did not specify the suspects' nationalities, the type of drugs seized or the exact location of the confrontation.
The confrontation comes amid Iraq's intensified crackdown on drug trafficking networks, with authorities reporting dozens of armed clashes and hundreds of networks dismantled since the beginning of the year.
In late August, Iraq's anti-drug directorate reported that 4,644 people had been convicted in drug-related cases since the beginning of the year, including 69 death sentences and 267 life sentences.
Authorities also reported dismantling 304 domestic and 54 international trafficking networks, while carrying out 21 operations abroad.
The directorate said at the time its forces had engaged in 32 armed confrontations with suspected traffickers this year, leaving one security officer dead and 31 wounded.
In September, Iraqi and Kuwaiti anti-drug authorities seized 700,000 Captagon pills and arrested two suspects in a joint operation in Kuwait's Kabd area, as both countries stepped up cooperation against international drug trafficking.
Iraq remains both a destination and a transit route for narcotics. A report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime describes the country as a “conduit” for drug flows between Southwest Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and Europe, while highlighting a surge in Captagon trafficking from Syria and rising domestic consumption.
To counter the trade, operations led by the country's anti-drug directorate have scaled up to involve international coordination, establishing 36 liaison channels with foreign counterparts to strengthen intelligence sharing and field cooperation.
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