Following lull in activity

Drone transporting Captagon pills intercepted on Iraq-Syria border

NINEVEH – Iraqi security forces foiled an attempt to smuggle drugs into the country using a drone, seizing a large quantity of Captagon pills in a residential complex near the Iraq-Syria border, according to a security source.

The source told 964media that the West Nineveh Security Directorate intercepted the drone after it crossed from Syria into Iraq, carrying the illicit cargo. “A large quantity of Captagon pills was seized in the Hatteen residential complex in Al-Shamal sub district along the border,” the source said.

The operation was carried out through a carefully planned ambush based on precise intelligence information. The confiscated materials have been referred to judicial authorities for further investigation, the source said.

On Christmas Day, Iraq’s General Directorate for Narcotics Affairs, part of the Ministry of Interior, announced the arrest of a suspected drug trafficker and the seizure of 100,000 Captagon pills in Najaf. The operation followed a month-long intelligence investigation.

Iraq has seen a sharp rise in Captagon trafficking in recent years, establishing itself as a key transit hub for the illicit drug trade. Between 2019 and 2023, seizures of Captagon in Iraq skyrocketed by over 3,380%, with authorities confiscating more than 4.1 tons of the drug in 2023 alone.

While Iraqi authorities frequently report large-scale narcotics seizures along the porous Syrian-Iraqi border, the days following the collapse of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime have shown a pause in smuggling activity. According to Haider Al-Quraishi, a member of Iraq’s National Anti-Drug Team under the National Security Advisory Office, no new smuggling attempts have been recorded during this period.

In an interview with Al-Hurra, Al-Quraishi revealed, “Captagon smuggled from Syria accounts for nearly 90% of the narcotics circulating in Iraq.”

Iraq’s General Directorate for Narcotics Affairs announced on Dec. 21 the arrest of 14,000 individuals involved in drug trafficking and the seizure of six tons of narcotics throughout 2024 as part of an intensified nationwide crackdown.

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