Baghdad police nab four on drug possession charges

BAGHDAD — Four individuals, including two women, were arrested on Saturday in the Zafaraniya district on drug possession charges, police said.

“Rusafa police apprehended four individuals, including two women, found in possession of narcotics,” the Baghdad Police Command said in a statement.

Patrols from the Zafaraniya Emergency Unit noticed suspicious behavior during routine surveillance in their assigned sector. A subsequent search uncovered illegal substances and drug paraphernalia. The suspects and the confiscated materials have been transferred to a local police station for further legal action.

The statement did not elaborate on the specific type of drug or the amounts alleged to have been found.

Authorities say the arrest is part of a broader effort to combat a surge in drug-related crimes across Iraq. On Dec. 21, Iraq’s General Directorate for Narcotics Affairs reported that 14,000 individuals linked to drug trafficking were arrested and six tons of narcotics were seized in 2024 as part of an expanded nationwide crackdown. By August, the Ministry of Interior had issued 140 death sentences and 500 life sentences for drug offenses. In 2023, law enforcement arrested more than 19,000 people for drug-related crimes, seized over 15 tons of psychotropic substances, and clashed with suspects—resulting in at least 17 deaths.

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