Foreign traveler caught smuggling drugs at Shalamcheh border crossing

BASRA – Authorities at the Shalamcheh border crossing in Basra arrested a foreign traveler on Wednesday after discovering narcotics concealed inside a water filter.

In a statement, the border crossing directorate said the traveler was found with approximately half a kilogram of crystal meth and several Tramadol pills, which were “hidden professionally” in the filter in an apparent attempt to smuggle them into Iraq.

The arrest was carried out by the technical division in coordination with the crossing’s narcotics unit. Officials said a formal report was filed and the suspect, along with the seized narcotics, was handed over to the Shalamcheh Customs Police Station for legal action.

The arrest comes amid broader anti-drug efforts by Iraqi authorities. On Tuesday, the Interior Ministry announced a joint security operation with Kuwait that led to the seizure of 34 kilograms of Captagon inside Kuwaiti territory. The ministry said more than 85 kilograms of illegal drugs were confiscated in operations over a 24-hour period.

On July 30, Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari announced the dismantling of a major cross-border trafficking ring, resulting in the seizure of more than 1.35 million Captagon pills in coordination with Syrian security forces. The operation, based on Iraqi judicial warrants, was described as a significant blow to one of the region’s most dangerous drug networks.

Iraq’s General Directorate of Narcotics Affairs said it confiscated 250 kilograms of drugs and arrested 59 international dealers in September. In the first quarter of 2025, 3,006 individuals were arrested for drug-related crimes and courts issued 973 sentences, according to an April report. Between January and August 2024, courts issued 140 death sentences and 500 life sentences tied to drug offenses.