Two Iraqis arrested in Medina with 142 kilograms of liquid meth hidden in Hajj convoy vehicle

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Interior Ministry said Sunday that two Iraqi nationals who owned a private Hajj and Umrah company were arrested in Medina after Saudi authorities found 142 kilograms of liquid meth concealed in their vehicle.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Abbas al-Bahadli said the arrests followed “continuous work of the Anti-Narcotics Directorate in Sulaymaniyah governorate,” whose officers “worked day and night in gathering information and conducting precise follow-up.” He described the case as the result of “constructive cooperation and high-level coordination with the General Directorate for Drug Control in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Salam Abdulkhaliq, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region’s Security Agency, told 964media the suspects are from Salah al-Din governorate and “for nearly six years were engaged in drug trafficking between Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and several other countries, using Hajj and Umrah convoys to smuggle drugs into Saudi Arabia.” He said the narcotics seized in Medina were worth “about $1.27 million” and confirmed the arrests took place on Aug. 29.

Abdulkhaliq said Saudi authorities requested a representative from the Kurdistan agency to assist in the investigation and stressed his directorate’s commitment to “coordination and cooperation at the international level to cut off drug trafficking and arrest traffickers.”

Separately, on Sept. 12, more than 30 buses carrying Umrah pilgrims from the Kurdistan Region were temporarily held at the Arar border crossing after Saudi officials discovered “a prohibited substance” on one vehicle, Karwan Stuni, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region’s Hajj and Umrah office, told 964media. “The situation has returned to normal and all buses have passed through, with no remaining issues for travelers,” he said.

Abdulkhaliq clarified that the Medina arrests were not linked to the Arar incident, noting the two men were detained on Aug. 29.