Shalamjah border officials seize over 2 kg of opium and hundreds of pills

BASRA — Iraqi border authorities seized more than 2 kilograms of opium and nearly 1,750 narcotic pills from two foreign travelers at the Shalamjah border crossing, Basra.

In a statement, Alauddin Al-Qaisi, spokesperson for the Border Ports Authority, said the drugs were hidden in one of the travelers’ luggage in an attempt to smuggle them into Iraq.

“The Shalamjah border directorate was able to apprehend the two travelers and seize 2.25 kilograms of opium and 1,750 narcotic pills of various sizes, shapes, and colors,” Al-Qaisi said.

Authorities filed an official seizure report and referred the suspects and confiscated drugs to the Shalamjah Customs Police for legal action.

Shalamjah is a land border crossing between Iraq and Iran. On the Iraqi side, it is located in Basra Governorate in southern Iraq. The crossing serves as a major point for both passenger travel and trade and is one of Iraq’s key southern border gates.

Iraq has faced growing challenges from narcotics trafficking in recent years, evolving from a transit corridor into both a consumer market and a redistribution hub.

Courts have handed down some of the country’s toughest penalties in high-level trafficking cases. Between January and August 2024, judges issued 140 death sentences and 500 life sentences in narcotics cases.

In the first quarter of 2025, authorities reported 3,006 arrests related to drug offenses, while nationwide seizures reached 250 kilograms of narcotics in September alone.