Erbil security directorate announces arrests of two drug trafficking gangs

ERBIL — The Erbil Security Directorate announced the arrest of two drug trafficking gangs on Monday evening.

In a statement, the directorate said the arrests were made under judicial orders following investigations by Erbil security forces.

The security forces identified the individuals as members of two gangs. During the arrests, authorities confiscated quantities of narcotics, including crystal meth and marijuana, along with drug paraphernalia.

“Four of the suspects are residents of southern Iraq and outside the Kurdistan Region,” the directorate said. “We thank the public for their continued cooperation in providing information to support our efforts.”

In late October, the Erbil authorities announced that a large-scale anti-drug operation conducted in October across Erbil and Duhok governorates resulted in the seizure of over 16 kilograms of illegal substances and the arrest of 43 individuals, including major dealers and traffickers.

This announcement follows a statement from the Security Directorate in Sulaymaniyah on Sunday, which reported the arrest of two drug traffickers and  seized more than 20 kilograms of crystal meth in Khurmal, Sulaymaniyah.

This seizure is part of a wider campaign by Kurdish authorities to combat drug trafficking networks in the region. On Dec. 11, the Anti-Narcotics Directorate of the Kurdistan Region Security Directorate, overseeing Sulaymaniyah and Halabja governorates, reported the arrest of 1,019 suspects on drug-related charges during the first 11 months of 2024.

The campaign resulted in the confiscation of over three tons of various drugs, including heroin, cocaine, captagon pills, crystal meth, opium, hashish, ecstasy, and tramadol pills, as well as 121,330 assorted pills.