Enforcing all sorts of laws that had been ignored.
[Rudaw] Iraqi authorities have arrested six individuals attempting to smuggle narcotics through border crossings and seized just under two dozen vehicles prepared for smuggling, a bigwig from the Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) told Rudaw on Monday, adding that dozens of vehicles have also been confiscated as part of an ongoing campaign to combat customs violations.| Between June 20 and Sunday, the INSS “has seized 137 vehicles in violation of regulations, as well as more than 20 vehicles seized inside border crossings and inspection yards” and “20 vehicles that were being prepared for smuggling,” said agency spokesperson Arshad al-Hakim. |
He further noted that "judicial arrest warrants were implemented against six individuals who were attempting to smuggle narcotics through these border crossings were arrested," framing the operations as part of an INSS push to strengthen "economic security" following orders from Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.
Zaidi in mid-June instructed INSS detachments to "deploy to border crossings, monitor all activities taking place there, and prepare the relevant security and intelligence reports," Hakim explained.
This deployment came amid rising regional tensions, including maritime tit-for-tat measures between Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneouslytaking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet
militiasto extend the regime's influence. The word
Iranis a cognate form of
Aryan.The abbreviation
IRGCis the same idea as
Stürmabteilung (or SA).The term
Supreme Guideis a the modern version form of either
Duceor
Führeror maybe both. They hate
and the United States in regional waters, which have prompted Iraq to expand the role of its transit hubs, including the southern port of Umm Qasr and land crossings, to manage and reroute cargo flows.
Working alongside Iraq’s General Customs Authority and the Border Ports Commission, the INSS is tasked with ensuring that Iraq’s ports are not used for illegal activities, Hakim said. He further explained that the latter is carried out through inspecting cargo, combating smuggling of weapons, drugs, unauthorized pharmaceuticals, and illicit fuel, and addressing economic security concerns linked to tariff evasion that reduces non-oil state revenues.
Hakim’s remarks come as Iraqi authorities continue progress on Operation Dawn, a large-scale anti-corruption campaign launched in late June under the direction of Prime Minister Zaidi, in coordination with the Federal Commission of Integrity.
The operation has so far resulted in the arrest of dozens of politicians and
A senior advisor to Zaidi said on Wednesday that more than $2 trillion has been embezzled in Iraq since the 2003 overthrow of the Baathist regime, affirming that the efforts will not stop any time soon and that suspects arrested in the nationwide campaign will face public trials.
Massive fire engulfs warehouses in Baghdad
[Rudaw] A massive fire broke out in several warehouses in Baghdad on Sunday, injuring several people and prompting an emergency response from firefighters.
The blaze erupted in a multi-story building housing several warehouses in the Iraqi capital, according to Rudaw's Ziyad Ismail. Firefighters rushed to the scene to contain the flames, which remained out of control at the time of reporting.
| Iraq's Civil Defense Directorate has stepped up enforcement of safety regulations in recent months. In late May, the directorate said it had referred more than 1,800 establishments to court, closed over 11,000 buildings, and issued thousands of fines for fire safety violations. |
Fires remain a recurring problem across Iraq, often linked to aging infrastructure, faulty electrical systems, overcrowded facilities, and inadequate fire safety measures.
Iraq's Civil Defense Directorate has stepped up enforcement of safety regulations in recent months. In late May, the directorate said it had referred more than 1,800 establishments to court, closed over 11,000 buildings, and issued thousands of fines for fire safety violations.
Authorities have repeatedly warned of a heightened risk of fire incidents due to non-compliance with safety standards. More than 3,000 fires were recorded across Iraq in the first half of 2025, according to the Civil Defense Directorate.
One of the deadliest such incidents occurred in July 2025, when a fire at a newly opened shopping mall in Kut, the capital of Wasit province, killed 63 people, prompting government investigations and renewed calls for stricter enforcement of fire safety regulations.
Iraq arrests drug dealer with 14,000 narcotic pills in Baghdad
04-07-2026
[Rudaw] Iraqi security forces have arrested multiple drug suspects across Baghdad and other provinces in coordinated operations that led to the seizure of thousands of narcotic pills and other drugs, including a major bust in the capital where military intelligence forces detained a dealer in possession of 14,000 Captagon pills, a high military official said on Saturday.
“At the time of his [the drug dealer's] arrest in central Baghdad, the dealer had 14,000 Captagon pills in his possession, which have been seized,” Haider Mohammed, spokesperson for Iraqi military intelligence, told Rudaw's Nahro Mohammed, adding that the operation was conducted based on “precise intelligence and continuous surveillance” by the intelligence and security department of the sixth infantry vivision.
He added that the suspect was wanted under Article 28 of the Narcotic Drugs Law, noting that he, along with the seized materials, had been handed over to judicial authorities.
Iraq remains both a destination and a transit route for narcotics. A report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime describes the country as a “conduit” for drug flows between Southwest Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and Europe, while highlighting a surge in Captagon trafficking from Syria and rising domestic consumption.
In late April, the Iraqi interior ministry said it had dismantled 1,538 trafficking networks since 2023, resulting in 349 death sentences and 1,325 life sentences issued by the Iraqi judiciary.
In a separate operation on Friday, the Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) announced in a statement that it had arrested nine suspects in Baghdad and Basra in two coordinated security operations targeting drug trafficking networks.
According to the statement, two targeted security operations in Baghdad and Basra were conducted based on accurate intelligence. Following judicial authorization, the raids led to the arrest of nine suspects and the confiscation of one kilogram of narcotics, about 1,000 narcotic pills, and a firearm.
Abbas al-Bahadli, Interior Ministry spokesperson, told Rudaw on Saturday that forces in Maysan had arrested “one of the most dangerous foreign drug dealers,” who was found in possession of one kilogram of crystal meth.
In mid-June, Iraqi and Syrian anti-narcotics authorities announced the dismantling of an international drug trafficking network following joint operations inside Syria’s Homs and Deir ez-Zor provinces.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry’s anti-narcotics directorate said at that time its units “moved to execute a series of simultaneous operations inside Syrian territory” in coordination with Syrian counterparts, dismantling a network of nine major traffickers and seizing around 200 kilograms of various narcotics en route to Iraq.
In early May, the Iraqi intelligence service announced that it had thwarted an attempt to smuggle more than one million Captagon pills and 100 kilograms of hashish through Iraqi territory.
Cited by state media, the Iraqi National Intelligence Service said in a statement that the “members of the criminal network” were arrested in “several provinces” after their movements were tracked using “precise intelligence,” in coordination with security forces in Sulaimani.
According to data from the general directorate of narcotics control, as of early May this year, 37 people convicted in drug-related cases in Iraq have been sentenced to death, 173 have received life sentences, and 2,288 others have been given various prison terms.