ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Security forces in Sulaimani province arrested two suspected drug traffickers and seized 87 liters of liquid crystal methamphetamine concealed in four containers intended for smuggling abroad, the Kurdistan Region's Security Agency (Asayish) said Monday.
In a statement, Asayish said the suspects were arrested on Friday after security forces inspected their vehicle at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Sulaimani.
The synthetic drug, in liquid form, was hidden in four containers in an apparent attempt to evade detection while being transported across borders, according to the statement.
Drug traffickers have increasingly resorted to elaborate concealment methods to evade security checks in the Kurdistan Region.
In August, Asayish officials demonstrated how traffickers concealed narcotics in everyday items, including carpets, decorative candles, cooking oil bottles and school textbooks.
In one method, drugs were chemically bonded to carpet fibers before being extracted through boiling.
Authorities have repeatedly warned of the growing threat posed by synthetic drugs, particularly crystal methamphetamine, and their harmful effects on young people across the Region.
In July, Asayish announced the arrest of four suspected drug dealers in two separate operations in Sulaimani province, seizing 21 kilograms of amphetamine and 25,000 narcotic pills.
The latest seizure comes days after Iraqi federal security forces arrested two suspected drug dealers and confiscated 600,000 Captagon pills in a joint operation in the eastern province of Diyala, south of Sulaimani.
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