Iraqi military intelligence arrests four drug traffickers in Baghdad

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Military Intelligence Directorate announced Wednesday the arrest of four individuals accused of drug trafficking and promotion in the Mahmudiya district of Baghdad.

In a statement, the directorate said the arrests were carried out by the intelligence and security unit of the 17th Infantry Division, following field surveillance and intelligence gathering.

Drugs remain a major challenge in Iraq, which has shifted from serving mainly as a transit route for narcotics from neighboring countries to becoming both a consumer market and a redistribution hub.

The suspects were apprehended in a targeted operation, and were found in possession of narcotics and light weapons. Arrest warrants had been issued for the individuals under Iraq’s anti-narcotics law.

The directorate confirmed that the detainees and the confiscated items were handed over to the relevant authorities in accordance with legal procedures.

Iraq’s Border Forces Command revealed today it foiled an attempt to smuggle narcotics using a balloon in western Anbar, seizing tens of thousands of pills near the border.