Iraq’s National Security Service arrests four suspects, seizes 11 kilograms of meth in Baghdad

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s National Security Service said Tuesday it dismantled a drug trafficking network in Baghdad, arresting four suspects and seizing 11 kilograms of crystal meth along with unlicensed weapons.

In a statement, the agency said intelligence-led monitoring led to two separate operations. The first resulted in the arrest of three suspects and the confiscation of the narcotics and a firearm. In a second raid, officers detained another dealer and “uncovered a new smuggling method using children’s toys to conceal narcotics.” Additional quantities of meth were found hidden inside the toys, while a pistol was discovered in the suspect’s vehicle.

The arrests highlight Iraq’s intensifying campaign against narcotics. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, authorities detained 3,006 people on drug-related charges, and courts issued 973 sentences, according to the General Directorate’s April report. In 2023, security forces made more than 19,000 arrests, seized 15 tons of narcotics, and reported 17 suspects killed in clashes. Between January and August 2024, Iraqi courts handed down 140 death sentences and 500 life sentences tied to drug offenses.