Iraq foils two 'innovative' drug smuggling attempts
Shafaq News/ Security forces foiled two drug smuggling attempts in Baghdad and Basra using what they described as 'innovative' concealment methods, the Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) said on Friday.
In Baghdad, authorities arrested a suspect after discovering 700 grams of methamphetamine hidden inside electrical appliances, while another in Basra was detained for attempting to smuggle 400 grams of the same substance concealed within footwear.
The agency stated that both operations were the result of meticulous intelligence work and sustained field efforts, executed in coordination with the judiciary following the acquisition of necessary legal approvals. The suspects have been referred to the appropriate authorities for further legal proceedings.
The announcement comes days after security forces in the Kurdistan Region seized 30 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine in Al-Sulaymaniyah, one of the largest drug hauls in the area this year. Authorities there have warned of a growing drug crisis fueled by regional trafficking routes and domestic distribution networks.
Iraq has become a key transit country for synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine and Captagon, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with trafficking routes stretching from Iran and Afghanistan toward Gulf states. Security experts say the country's porous borders and limited enforcement capacity have made it vulnerable to regional smuggling networks.
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