Iraq arrests suspected drug trafficker in joint operation with Iran

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s National Security Service said Tuesday it has arrested an international drug trafficker accused of smuggling more than 100 kilograms of crystal meth into the country, following a coordinated intelligence operation with Iranian authorities.

In a statement, the agency said the suspect, identified by initials M.N.J., was tracked after detainees held on narcotics charges told investigators that the drugs seized from them belonged to him. The detainees described him as operating inside a large smuggling network that supplied crystal meth to Iraq.

Based on the confessions, the Karkh Investigation Court issued an arrest warrant. Intelligence teams monitored the suspect’s movements, eventually locating him in a neighboring country. A specialized National Security Service team then coordinated with Iranian security agencies and secured his legal transfer at the Shalamcheh border crossing.

After being brought to Baghdad, the suspect was presented before judicial authorities, who ordered his detention. During interrogation, he confessed to trafficking narcotics using various methods and admitted responsibility for smuggling more than 100 kilograms of crystal meth into Iraq, including 16 kilograms previously seized from members of his network, according to the statement.

The General Directorate of Narcotics Affairs reported nationwide seizures of 250 kilograms of drugs and the arrest of 59 international dealers in September. In the first quarter of 2025, authorities arrested 3,006 people on drug-related offenses, and courts issued 973 sentences, an April report said.

Between January and August 2024, Iraqi courts handed down 140 death sentences and 500 life sentences in narcotics cases.