Iraq
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani speaking at the first Baghdad Conference on Drug Control on May 9, 2023. Photo: PM Sudani's office
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Tuesday highlighted the dangerous spread of drugs and its connection to terrorism, saying that they will spare no effort in the fight against narcotics.
“The drug issue is a serious threat to societies and state entities and the war against drugs is no less dangerous than the war against terrorism,” said Sudani during his speech at the first Baghdad Conference on Drug Control.
The rate of drug addicts and dealers has been on an alarming rise in Iraq in recent years, despite strict measures taken by the Iraqi government to curb the phenomenon.
Sudani said that terrorism is often financed based on drugs, stressing that the spread of drugs will not be tolerated, and that security forces will deal with the issue as a security and terrorist threat.
The premier stated that they have devised a national strategy to fight the spread of drugs for the years 2023 through 2025, adding that clinics providing medical and psychological help for drug addicts have already been established.
“Iraq will spare no effort to fight drugs at the legislative and governmental levels, and will prepare trained and professional staff to address this challenge,” he added.
At least 1,417 people were arrested on drug related charges and over 60 kilograms of narcotics were confiscated in January, according to the General Directorate of Narcotics Control in Iraq’s Ministry of Interior. Around 15 thousand suspects were arrested and more than 400 kilograms of narcotics were confiscated in 2022.
Sudani added that Iraq seeks to coordinate with Arab states to bring an end to the drugs pandemic, adding that international and regional cooperation was “crucial”.
Syria became the main supplier of the illicit captagon pills which began spreading across the Middle East following the Syrian civil war in 2011.
Iraq and Saudi Arabia are the main consumers of the substance, according to AFP.
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