Basra police warn of evolving drug, begging activity amid urban expansion

BASRA — Drug use and begging in Basra are evolving in scale and method, often linked to the city’s growing commercial draw, according to police officials.

“Many beggars, especially children, are brought in from outside the governorate, often from rural areas, and are managed at times by their own families,” Basra Police media director Basim Al-Maliki said in an interview with Al-Basra TV.

He said the activity is concentrated in the city center and often disguised as street vending. “Begging is a crime,” he said.

In February, Rusafa police arrested a man accused of overseeing a network of beggars in Baghdad’s Karrada district.

Al-Maliki also said drug users often lead investigators to traffickers. “Drug users are a clear thread that leads anti-narcotics authorities to major traffickers,” he said, noting recent campaigns targeting dealers have begun to curb the issue.

He said drugs are trafficked both locally and across Iraq’s borders, but the Interior Ministry has implemented a “tight plan” to tackle the problem.

Al-Maliki urged investment in youth through arts and culture to steer them away from risky behaviors. “We are working to discover their potential instead of leaving them adrift,” he said.

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 authorities.

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