Latest news with #ArkanOmar
Shafaq News
17-04-2025
- Shafaq News
Kurdistan's Erbil drug raid: Women used to target kids, rich youth
Shafaq News/ Security forces in Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan Region, have dismantled a five-member drug trafficking network that used women to lure children and affluent youth into buying narcotics. The operation, carried out after securing a judicial warrant, resulted in the seizure of six kilograms of marijuana, Arkan Omar, an officer with the Kurdistan Region's anti-narcotics directorate, stated on Thursday. The busted ring was reportedly linked to another two-person cell arrested earlier, from whom one kilogram of marijuana was also confiscated. 'What made this network particularly dangerous was its strategy,' Omar said. 'It included both Arab and Kurdish members and used women to manipulate children and deceive wealthy young people into buying drugs at inflated prices.' A formal investigation has been opened, and the suspects will be prosecuted under the Regional Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law. Earlier, Security forces in the Kurdistan Region seized 30 kilograms of crystal meth in Al-Sulaymaniyah and arrested a foreign national suspected of trafficking the drugs.
Shafaq News
19-03-2025
- Shafaq News
Erbil: 16 arrested, over a ton of Captagon seized
Shafaq News/ Kurdish security forces arrested 16 individuals and seized 82 kilograms of narcotics, along with more than a ton of Captagon pills, in recent operations. Arkan Omar, an official at the Kurdistan Region's Anti-Narcotics Directorate, announced on Wednesday that Asayish had apprehended 16 suspects and confiscated the illicit substances in their possession. 'In coordination with Iraqi forces, two joint operations in Baghdad and Mosul led to the seizure of 1,170 kilograms of Captagon—1,100 kilograms in Baghdad and 70 kilograms in Mosul,' Omar added.
Shafaq News
04-03-2025
- Shafaq News
Iraq and KRI destroy 265kg+ of narcotics
Shafaq News/ Security forces have made significant drug seizures in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region (KRI), with recent operations resulting in the confiscation and destruction of approximately 265 kilograms of narcotics. In the Region, security forces recently seized 26.2 kilograms of various narcotics, including crystal meth, hashish, and heroin. Over the past two weeks, authorities dismantled several trafficking networks and arrested 11 suspects, according to the Regional Anti-narcotics Directorate. 'These operations are part of ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking and limit its spread,' said Arkan Omar, an officer with the directorate. Meanwhile, judicial authorities in Basra, southern Iraq, destroyed 239 kilograms of narcotics. The drugs, which had been seized and stored by the Forensic Medicine Department, were destroyed following a five-day examination process. The destruction included 98,856 narcotic pills, 18,613 vials of liquid drugs, and nearly 24 liters of liquid substances.
Shafaq News
24-02-2025
- Shafaq News
Kurdish authorities seize crystal meth, arrest traffickers near Iran
Shafaq News/ Kurdistan arrested five drug traffickers following an armed confrontation in a border area near Iran in Al-Sulaymaniyah province, General Directorate of Drug Control announced on Monday. In a statement, the directorate said that a special security capture of five drug dealers in Penjwen, where security forces seized approximately four kilograms of crystal meth. During the raid, a clash erupted resulting in the injury of one trafficker and the arrest of four others. Penjwen, located along the Iranian border, remains a key route for drug smugglers attempting to transport narcotics into the Kurdistan Region, prompting authorities to intensify security measures and surveillance efforts to curb illegal activities. This month, Security Directorate officer, Arkan Omar, stated that the Kurdistan Region's security forces arrested more than 30 drug dealers and seized over 50 kg of narcotics.
Shafaq News
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Kurdistan Region arrests 35 drug dealers, seizes 51 kg of narcotics
Shafaq News/ The Kurdistan Region's security forces arrested more than 30 drug dealers and seized over 50 kg of narcotics, the General Security Directorate (Asayish) said on Sunday. In a press conference, Security Directorate officer Arkan Omar stated, "Asayish forces seized 51 kg of narcotics during security operations, including 49 kg of crystal meth and 2 kg of heroin." The forces also arrested 35 individuals on drug trafficking charges, with a significant number reportedly being foreigners. Drugs In The Kurdistan Region Drug trafficking in the Kurdistan Region has expanded, according to analysts, as the ongoing economic crisis has driven up unemployment and poverty, creating a fertile ground for traffickers who exploit the Region's borders with Iran to the east, Syria to the west, and Turkiye to the north—key transit routes for the growing flow of narcotics. According to security statistics from the Kurdistan Region provinces (Erbil, Al-Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok) on drug-related cases between 2019 and 2023, submitted to the United Nations, drug seizures—including hashish, opium, heroin, crystal meth, and Captagon—have surged. In 2023 alone, authorities confiscated 2,708 kg of narcotics, up from just 206 kg in 2019. Statistics from the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC)'s Anti-Narcotics Directorate revealed that nearly 700 people were arrested for drug trafficking in 2024. Over 1,311 individuals were detained for drug-related offenses, including 698 on trafficking charges, with 444 kg of narcotics seized. In 2025, the Iraqi Interior Ministry announced plans for a major crackdown on drug traffickers, implementing modern intelligence strategies in coordination with security forces across all provinces, including the Kurdistan Region.
