Iraq’s National Security Service breaks up currency-forgery, smuggling network

BASRA — Iraq’s National Security Service said Sunday it has dismantled a currency-forgery and smuggling network in Basra and arrested three suspects, including a foreign national accused of moving counterfeit money into the country.

In a statement shared with 964media, the service said its Basra branch launched what it described as a specialized security operation based on “precise intelligence information.” It said one suspect was arrested in central Basra “in the act” while carrying large amounts of counterfeit Iraqi dinars.

“Based on his confession, our teams were able to arrest the second suspect,” the statement said. Investigators said those admissions helped reveal the rest of the network and led to the arrest of a third suspect, identified as a foreign national whose role was “limited to smuggling currency from a neighboring country into Iraq.”

In a related case, the service said its units in Kirkuk arrested a man involved in selling and distributing counterfeit money after luring him into a sting operation. He was found carrying $10,000 in fake $100 bills and “admitted clearly to bringing them from a neighboring country,” according to the statement.

All detainees and seized currency were referred to the competent authorities to face legal action, the service said.

Counterfeit currency cases have declined in recent years. On Sept. 24, 2025, the Interior Ministry claimed such crimes had dropped by 85 to 90 percent due to tighter judicial follow-up, expanded intelligence work and wider use of electronic payments. Brig. Gen. Ahmed Mohammed Obeid said at the time that security agencies had carried out broader operations between 2023 and 2025 that resulted in hundreds of arrests on fraud and trafficking charges, noting that criminal groups often try to push fake dinars and dollars into circulation during holidays.