Iraq security service says it broke up crystal meth lab in Basra, arrested 17 suspects

BASRA — Iraq’s National Security Service said Sunday it dismantled an international network producing crystal meth inside a house converted into a clandestine laboratory in Basra governorate, arresting 17 suspects, including 14 foreign nationals.

In a statement, the agency said it carried out “a specialized security operation that resulted in dismantling an international criminal network specialized in manufacturing and trafficking narcotics.”

The operation was based on intelligence and field surveillance and extended across several Iraqi governorates, it said. “Seventeen suspects were arrested, including fourteen carrying foreign nationalities, forming an organized criminal network for manufacturing and trading the narcotic crystal substance,” the statement said.

The agency said the primary suspect, a foreign national, entered Iraq from a neighboring country, rented a house in Basra and converted it into a secret lab. The suspect “exploited his experience in this criminal field to manufacture crystal,” it said.

A second main suspect, wanted for bringing drugs and precursor materials into the country, was arrested in what the agency described as a “tight ambush carried out by the tactical unit in Basra governorate.”

Authorities said coordinated raids were carried out in Baghdad, Basra, Najaf and Diwaniyah governorates, leading to the arrest of key dealers and halting the network’s activity. The agency said the operation resulted in the seizure of nearly 20 kilograms of crystal meth, some of it confiscated during production inside the lab, along with eight liters of chemical precursors.

Investigators said the suspects used multiple concealment methods, including hiding drugs and materials in remote desert areas, inside clothing and in cargo vehicles. The statement said the network also exploited people with disabilities to pass the materials.

All suspects and seized items were referred to the competent judicial authorities for legal action, the agency said.

On Nov. 25, 2025, the ministry reported dismantling 1,201 drug-trafficking networks, including 1,030 local and 171 international, over the past three years, and seizing more than 14 tons of narcotics. Courts issued 23,118 rulings in drug cases, including 300 death sentences and 1,147 life sentences, the ministry said. It also reported 274 armed clashes linked to counter-narcotics operations, seven officers killed and 90 wounded, and the seizure of 3,307 weapons and 4,462 vehicles.