Iraqi traveler detained at Shalamjah crossing with drugs hidden in shoes

BASRA — Iraq’s Border Ports Authority said it detained an Iraqi female traveler at the Shalamjah border crossing, Basra, after finding drugs concealed inside her shoes.

In a statement issued Saturday, the authority said the Directorate of the Shalamjah border crossing discovered “crystal and marijuana” hidden inside the soles of the traveler’s footwear as she attempted to enter the country.

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.

The authority said the seizure was carried out in cooperation with customs police and border inspection staff. Officials prepared a seizure report and referred the suspect, along with the confiscated materials, to the competent judicial authorities.

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.