Man arrested in Erbil for illegal reprocessed cooking oil operation

ERBIL — Authorities in Erbil arrested a man accused of collecting used cooking oil from restaurants and illegally reselling it, according to the city’s security directorate.

Erbil Security spokesperson Ardalan Fatih told 964media, “Our teams apprehended an individual in possession of 84,000 liters of used cooking oil.” The suspect, from Iraq’s southern governorates, had been operating without an official license or authorization.

Fatih added, “The factory owner had been gathering used cooking oil daily from restaurants in Erbil and reprocessing it in an unhealthy manner, far from regulatory guidelines, with the intention of reselling it in the market for reuse.”

The operation was conducted in coordination with the Erbil district governor’s office and under judicial directives. Legal measures have been taken against the suspect, and the facility has been shut down.