[SHAFAQ] On Thursday, the Iraqi Border Guard Command announced the thwarting of an attempt to smuggle about 50 kilograms of drugs into the country through the al-Hawizah border crossing with Iran.
According to a statement, the command stated that "a force from the 10th Border Brigade within the 3rd Region Border Command, in a joint operation with the Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances and the Quick Response Unit, seized 51 kilograms of narcotics in al-Hawizah area."
It confirmed that "the joint force arrested the suspect responsible for smuggling," noting that "the seizure operation was carried out based on precise intelligence information, and an official report was prepared, with necessary legal procedures taken."
Iraq's drug problem has reached critical levels. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the country has become a major transit route for illegal drugs, particularly Captagon, a stimulant amphetamine. This lucrative trade fuels organized crime and terrorist networks, posing a significant threat to regional stability.
Iraq has over 3,637 kilometres of land border with the Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Turkiye. Its strategic location means that it is also a conduit for the flow of drugs between Southwest Asia, the Arabian Peninsula and Europe.
The dramatic increase in methamphetamine trafficking from one side of its border and "captagon" production and trafficking from the other side have consolidated Iraq's role in the drug trade not just as a bridge between major producers and consumers but reportedly as a potential emerging source of methamphetamine production and increased consumption in its own right. 
|
