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Shafaq News
29-04-2025
- Shafaq News
Criminal gangs busted: Iraq arrests women in trafficking, drug raids
Shafaq News/ Iraqi security forces arrested members of criminal gangs, including women, during raids in Baghdad, authorities said on Tuesday. According to the Baghdad Operations Command, two gangs involved in human trafficking and drug activity were dismantled in the districts of Al-Saydiya, Dora, and Nahrawan. Security units also seized unlicensed weapons, ammunition, and other banned materials, with all detainees and confiscated items handed over to the relevant authorities to complete legal procedures. Wider Campaign On Organized Crime Iraq has intensified its crackdown on organized crime in 2025. According to Major General Miqdad Miri from the Interior Ministry, authorities dismantled 146 drug networks — 79 domestic and 67 international — in the first quarter alone. Twelve suspects, mostly extradited from Kuwait, were handed over to Iraqi authorities, and 12 international arrest warrants were issued. In parallel, Iraq has been battling human trafficking. Over the past three years, the number of identified victims has reached 2,300, according to the Strategic Center for Human Rights. Security forces have dismantled more than 1,800 networks and individuals involved in trafficking and forced begging.
Rudaw Net
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Iraqi forces foil smuggling of 400,000 Captagon pills from Syria
Also in Iraq No significant barriers left to resume Kurdish oil exports: Baghdad Iraqi army, Peshmerga cooperate to upgrade Turkey border security Faili Kurds in Mandali lament neglect decades after genocide Iraq releases 1,000 detainees under general amnesty law A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi security forces thwarted an attempt to smuggle 400,000 Captagon pills across the Euphrates from Syria into Iraqi territory, the interior ministry announced on Monday. 'The operation was carried out using advanced thermal cameras, and the drugs were hidden inside tightly-sealed plastic jerry cans,' ministry spokesperson Miqdad Miri said in a statement. The narcotics were being smuggled from Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zor province, according to the statement. In mid-March, the Iraqi interior ministry announced the seizure of a truck packed with some 1,100 kilograms of Captagon pills coming from Syria towards Iraq through Turkey. Also in March, Iraq's narcotics control directorate reported that Baghdad has seized some 1.75 tons of illicit substances since the beginning of 2025 and made 2,000 arrests in the process. Three months prior, in December, the narcotics directorate revealed that a total of six tons and 183 kilograms of illicit drugs were seized in 2024, with 14,483 suspects arrested. Among these, 144 individuals have been sentenced to death for international drug smuggling, while 454 local dealers were sentenced to life in prison - a term of 20 years. Saad Maan, the head of Iraq's Security Media Cell, told Rudaw in February that drug trafficking is 'the most widespread crime' in Iraq, highlighting that Erbil and Baghdad are working jointly and with regional neighbours to address the issue. Maan also said that 'drugs are almost exclusively imported' into Iraq and that there have been 'failed attempts' to manufacture crystal methamphetamine and Captagon - the most commonly used types of psychotropic substances - within the country. The drug trade, especially Captagon, is a growing concern in the Middle East, including Iraq. Syria, under fallen dictator Bashar al-Assad, was a major source for the Captagon trade. The drug was one of the power cards used by the Assad regime for political leverage and his brother Maher is believed to have been largely behind the illegal business. With the collapse of his rule, observers have urged the international community to end the Captagon trade among the prerequisites for providing relief to the new Syria leadership.
Rudaw Net
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Iraq arrests over 700 foreign workers in Baghdad
32 minutes ago ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's interior ministry said on Saturday that 738 foreign workers were arrested in a campaign in Baghdad for violating residency procedures and conditions. 'The arrest of these individuals was part of a large-scale operation to examine Arab and foreign workers and to arrest those who violated residency procedures or entered Iraqi territory without visas and official procedures,' Iraqi interior ministry spokesperson Miqdad Miri told Rudaw. Iraq frequently carries out operations against foreign workers in the country and typically deports those found guilty of violating residency procedures, according to Miri. In March of last year, Iraqi authorities initiated a large-scale crackdown on foreigners it said were violating residency requirements. Many Syrians were detained and deported following raids on their residences and workplaces. Iraq hosts more than 260,000 Syrian refugees, according to figures from the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), with more than 254,000 of them residing in the Kurdistan Region. Human rights organizations have criticized Iraq for unlawfully deporting refugees and have routinely called on Iraqi authorities to end the practice. Last year, Human Rights Watch said that authorities in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have unlawfully arrested and deported Syrian refugees and called on Baghdad to 'immediately end' the campaigns. Hastyar Qadir contributed to this report. Post a comment
Rudaw Net
16-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Baghdad seizes 1.1 tons of drugs in joint effort with Erbil, Riyadh
Also in Middle East Turkish FM advises Damascus to grant all Kurdish rights KDP president, SDF chief discuss the unity of Syria's Kurds President Barzani welcomes landmark SDF-Damascus agreement CENTCOM chief meets SDF commanders, key leaders during Middle East visit A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq on Sunday announced the seizure of some 1.1 tons of Captagon, flowing in from Syria, with the help of the Kurdistan Region and Saudi Arabia. The capture is part of an ongoing counter-narcotics effort that saw Baghdad seize some 2.86 tons of illicit substances since the beginning of 2025. The Iraqi interior ministry spokesperson Miqdad Miri stated that Baghdad's narcotics control directorate, 'based on [intelligence] information it received from the Saudi [General Directorate of] Narcotics Control' and in cooperation with the narcotics control directorates of Erbil and Sulaimani, was able to carry out a 'precise and specialized operation' that led to the seizure of a truck laden with some 1,100 kilograms of Captagon pills coming from Syria towards Iraq, through Turkey. Miri added that the perpetrators involved in the smuggling were arrested and their network was dismantled in an operation that 'was carried out under high confidentiality monitoring and pursuit.' In early March, Iraq's narcotics control directorate reported that Baghdad has seized some 1.75 tons of illicit substances since the beginning of 2025 and made 2,000 arrests in the process. Three months prior, in December, the narcotics directorate revealed that a total of six tons and 183 kilograms of illicit drugs were seized in 2024, with 14,483 suspects arrested. Among these, 144 individuals have been sentenced to death for international drug smuggling, while 454 local dealers were sentenced to life in prison - a term of 20 years. Speaking to Rudaw in late February, the head of Iraq's Security Media Cell Major General Saad Maan stated that drug trafficking is 'the most widespread crime' in Iraq, highlighting that Erbil and Baghdad are working jointly and with regional neighbours to address the issue. Maan also said that 'drugs are almost exclusively imported' into Iraq and that there have been 'failed attempts' to manufacture Crystal and Captagon - the most commonly used types of psychotropic substances - within the country. Of note, Crystal is often referent to Crystal meth; however, it could also refer to other crystalline forms of drugs including MDMA and uncut cocaine. The drug trade, especially Captagon, is a growing concern in the Middle East, including Iraq. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) highlighted the escalating drug crisis in its 2024 report, revealing a staggering 3,380 percent increase in Captagon seizures in Iraq from 2019 to 2023. In 2023 alone, over 4.1 tons of Captagon tablets were seized, the report noted, adding that the drugs trafficked in Iraq also include opium, heroin, hashish, and methamphetamine. UNODC cautioned that Iraq 'is at risk of becoming a key node in the drug trafficking ecosystem spanning Southwest Asia, Africa, and Europe.' It connects trafficking routes carrying opiates from Afghanistan to Europe, and routes through the Arabian Peninsula to Eastern Africa. The UN organization further noted that drug trafficking is exacerbated by Iraqi armed groups whose 'cross-border ties and economic interests contribute to cross-border trafficking,' adding that the country's 'recent history of armed conflict and corruption has worsened trafficking conditions.' Syria, under fallen dictator Bashar al-Assad, was a major source for the Captagon trade. The drug was one of the power cards used by the Assad regime for political leverage and his brother Maher is believed to have been largely behind the illegal business. With the collapse of his rule, observers have urged the international community to make ending the Captagon trade among the prerequisites for providing relief to the new Syria leadership. For its part, the Iraqi government has said it will continue to fight the drug trade with the same determination that it combats terrorism.
Rudaw Net
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Iraqi ministry says Syria border ‘completely secured'
Also in Iraq Iraqi president sues premier, finance minister over unpaid KRG salaries Sunni party urges amnesty for prisoners in KRG-run prisons in Kirkuk Landmine blast kills three family members in Basra Iraq to repatriate 155 families from al-Hol: Monitor A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's interior ministry said on Sunday that the country's border with Syria is 'completely secured' from movements of the Islamic State (ISIS) as Baghdad continues efforts to bolster border security against the backdrop of the events in Syria. 'Our border is completely secured and there are no movements [across the border],' ministry spokesperson Miqdad Miri told Rudaw's Ranja Jamal about alleged ISIS activities across the Iraq-Syria border. Baghdad shut the border in December when the regime of its ally Bashar al-Assad was toppled by rebels. The Iraqi government deployed troops to the border but said it would maintain ties with Damascus. In January, Miri said that Iraq had extended its concrete wall along the Syrian border as a part of its effort to fight terrorism and drug trade. The spokesperson added that they maintain 'a high level of cooperation' with the Kurdistan Region's interior ministry, particularly in anti-narcotics efforts and combatting cross-border crimes. 'Many operations have been done and many suspects, criminals, and criminal networks have been arrested by joint-operations teams with authorities present in the [Kurdistan] Region,' Miri added. Iraqi and Kurdish security forces have carried out numerous joint raids against ISIS in recent years. ISIS seized control of swathes of territory in northern and central Iraq in 2014. Their so-called caliphate was brought to an end in 2017, but the group continues to pose a security threat, particularly in the disputed territories that stretch across several provinces including Diyala, Salahaddin, Kirkuk, and Nineveh. Last year, Iraq's Interior Minister Abdul-Amir al-Shammari told Rudaw that the threat of ISIS is 'under continuous confinement.' Drug dealing and usage in Iraq have been rising at an alarming rate, despite strict governmental measures to combat the phenomenon. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani has repeatedly stated that his cabinet is committed to fighting drugs as seriously as the country fights terrorism. Iraq's judiciary has handed down strict sentences for drug-related crime, including 140 death sentences and 500 life imprisonment (20 years in Iraqi law) sentences for smugglers and dealers since the start of 2023, according to official data from the interior ministry.
