ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s interior ministry announced on Friday that it coordinated with Iranian authorities to seize 64 kilograms of narcotics during a joint cross-border operation.
The operation was carried out in the Iranian city of Abadan, near Iraq’s southernmost city of Basra, and resulted in the arrest of one suspect, according to the ministry.
Baghdad said it will continue “intensive intelligence and field efforts to pursue drug-trafficking gangs inside and outside the country.”
“This successful operation was conducted in Abadan by a specialized unit from the General Directorate of Narcotics Affairs, in close cooperation with the Iranian Anti-Narcotics Directorate, as part of joint efforts to combat this transnational scourge,” the statement said.
The ministry noted that similar cross-border operations have “proven effective in delivering painful blows to drug networks and preventing the spread of these poisons that threaten the security and stability of society.”
In November 2023, Baghdad and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding on combating drug trafficking. Since then, the two sides have held two high-level meetings, the most recent in September in Baghdad, during which officials praised their cooperation for significantly reducing drug-smuggling crimes in both countries.
Iraqi authorities have intensified efforts to combat narcotics trafficking in recent years. Once primarily a transit route, Iraq has increasingly become a destination for drugs, raising alarm among officials and the public.
According to the ministry of the interior, Iraqi authorities have seized more than 13 tons of narcotic substances since 2023.
The ministry says that stricter judicial rulings, including capital punishment, have helped deter major traffickers, with more than 270 death sentences issued during this period, compared to just five over the previous decade.
Iraq currently ranks third among 138 countries worldwide in combating drugs, according to the World Police Summit (WPS).