Iraq says joint operation with Iran in Abadan seized 64 kilograms of drugs

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Interior Ministry said Thursday it carried out a preemptive counter-narcotics operation in coordination with Iran, seizing 64 kilograms of narcotics and arresting a suspect in Abadan.

In a statement, the ministry said the General Directorate for Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances conducted the operation after obtaining required approvals and through “effective international security coordination with the Iranian side.”

“Within its preemptive security operations, the General Directorate for Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, under the direct guidance of the interior minister and after obtaining the required approvals, and through effective international security coordination with the Iranian side, seized 64 kilograms of dangerous narcotic substances and arrested a suspect caught in the act,” the statement said.

The ministry said the seizure took place in Abadan and was carried out by a specialized Iraqi unit “in close cooperation with the Iranian anti-narcotics administration,” as part of joint efforts to target cross-border trafficking networks.

The statement said international coordination under agreements and treaties with “friendly countries” has helped disrupt drug networks and prevent the spread of narcotics. “These poisons target the security and stability of society,” the ministry said, adding that it would continue such operations to protect citizens.

The Abadan seizure follows other cross-border enforcement actions cited by the ministry. On Dec. 1, it said it arrested two alleged international traffickers inside Syria in coordination with Damascus and seized 57 kilograms of hashish that authorities said was being prepared for smuggling into Iraq.

On Nov. 25, the ministry said Iraq had dismantled more than 1,200 drug-trafficking networks over the past three years and seized more than 14 tons of narcotics. It said those operations included work outside Iraq and expanded rehabilitation programs in treatment centers across the country.