The Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced the seizure of half a ton of drugs in an unprecedented security operation deemed "the largest in Iraq." The ministry stated in a statement: "Based on the directives of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to give the utmost importance to drug-related issues, the General Directorate for Drug Affairs and Psychotropic Substances in the Ministry of Interior carried out, under the personal and direct supervision of Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, an operation from 3/8/2023 to 6/8/2023 that is considered the largest in Iraq in the fight against drugs."
It added: "According to judicial decisions and in coordination and collaboration with the Anti-Drug Unit of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the operation resulted in dismantling a major drug trafficking network, which is the primary supplier and exporter of narcotic Captagon pills in Iraq, with its crimes extending from the north to the central, southern, and western regions of the country."
The statement continued that "the gang consists of eight accused individuals, including its leader, all of whom have been apprehended and have confessed to storing narcotic substances in largely hard-to-find locations underground and behind doors, among other hidden places. Following a proper search, 450 kilograms of narcotic Captagon pills and 50 kilograms of opium were seized, and they have been placed under detention for drug trafficking to receive their just punishment."
