ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region’s security forces (Asayish) on Saturday announced they had, in cooperation with the Iraqi Directorate of Combating Narcotics, arrested a wanted “international” drug trafficker.
The suspect is accused of transporting narcotics between Iraq and Syria, and was arrested after sending a large shipment to Baghdad last week, according to a statement from the Asayish. Over three kilograms of narcotics and several weapons were seized during the arrest.
This was not the first time security forces have tried to apprehend the suspect. “In several previous arrest attempts, the suspect has confronted security forces with weapons and fled,” read the statement.
The nationality of the suspect was not given. He was arrested in Sulaimani province's Raparin administration.
There has been an alarming rise in drug use and trade in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in recent years, despite strict measures taken by the federal and regional governments to curb the phenomenon.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, during a conference on combating the drug trade last October, said that the Region is “seriously and widely working to eradicate and combat” the threat of drugs, and called on the Kurdish and international community to cooperate with Erbil to eliminate what he described an “endemic” problem.
In 2023, more than 19,000 people were arrested across Iraq on drug-related charges and over 15 tons of psychotropic substances were seized.
