‘Dangerous’ drug-trafficking network captured in Erbil: Asayish

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish security forces (Asayish) on Sunday arrested three members of a “dangerous” drug trafficking network in Erbil province and seized over 85 kilograms of crystal meth.

“Our directorate, in cooperation with the directorate of investigation and surveillance, successfully apprehended a dangerous drug trafficking network during an operation. The network consisted of three suspects and was found in possession of 85 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine,” read a statement from the General Directorate of Anti-Narcotics, which is a branch of the Kurdistan Region Security Council.

The suspects operated a depot in a villa on the outskirts of Erbil city. They transported the drugs from Qaladize to the depot to later distribute them to Erbil, Duhok and several other cities.

“This network is considered one of the most dangerous drug trafficking rings, and it was revealed during the arrest of its members that they were distributing more than 100 kilograms of drugs monthly in Erbil, Duhok, and other cities,” the statement added.

Drug trafficking and use have been on the rise in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq since the fall of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

In an interview with Rudaw in March, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Labour and Social Affairs Minister Kwestan Muhamad warned against the spread of drugs in the Region, calling them a “great danger and more dangerous than terrorism.”

In May, the general director of the Kurdistan Region’s correctional facilities said that convictions on drug-related charges in the Region have significantly increased.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has said that the Region is “seriously and widely working to eradicate and combat” the threat of drugs, calling on Kurdish and international communities last October to cooperate with Erbil to eliminate what he described an “endemic” problem.

‘Dangerous’ drug-trafficking network captured in Erbil: Asayish

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