Drug trafficker killed in clash with security forces in Basra

BASRA — One drug trafficker was killed and another wounded Friday during an exchange of fire with security forces in Qurna district, north of Basra governorate, a security source told 964media.

The source said the operation was based on intelligence received from Baghdad. “Security forces, relying on precise intelligence information, managed to lure two drug traffickers from the Thagar subdistrict to Qurna. When they arrived, a direct clash took place between the security forces and the traffickers in the center of the district,” the source said.

According to the source, one of the traffickers was killed instantly while the other was injured and transferred to Qurna General Hospital for treatment.

Security forces also seized the car used by the two men and confiscated about one kilogram of crystal meth in their possession.

As part of a wider crackdown on narcotics, Iraq’s Interior Ministry announced on July 28 that it had issued 81 international arrest warrants for drug traffickers and smugglers, coordinated with Interpol after months of investigation. Officials said the campaign reflects growing efforts to dismantle networks across the country. Earlier this year, authorities reported thousands of arrests, hundreds of convictions, and dozens of death and life sentences in drug-related cases, with Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari calling traffickers “dangerous international dealers and smugglers.”