1.4 kilos of crystal meth seized at Shalamcheh border crossing

BASRA — Authorities at the Shalamcheh border crossing said Saturday they arrested a foreign traveler attempting to smuggle more than a kilogram of crystal methamphetamine into Iraq, with the drugs hidden inside metal containers.

“The Shalamcheh Border Directorate arrested a foreign traveler who was caught with 1.4 kilograms of crystal meth, professionally concealed inside metal vessels, in a failed attempt to smuggle it into the country,” the directorate said in a statement.

The seizure was made by the crossing’s technical division in coordination with its narcotics unit. An official report was filed, and the suspect, along with the confiscated drugs, was transferred to the Directorate of Drug and Psychotropic Substances Control for further legal action.

The arrest comes amid heightened efforts by Iraqi authorities to combat drug trafficking and related crimes. On June 26, Brig. Gen. Miqdad Miri, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior said nearly 656 drug trafficking networks—both domestic and international—had been dismantled over the past two years.