ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) announced on Sunday that it had seized 200 tons of expired food earlier this month, adding that 32 tons were confiscated in the latest operations.
The INSS “successfully carried out extensive field operations in the capital Baghdad, resulting in the seizure of 140 tons of wheat prohibited from trading in local markets, as part of the agency's ongoing efforts to protect citizens' food security and prevent manipulation of essential materials, Arshad al-Hakim, spokesperson for the INSS, told Rudaw.
“These specialized operations came following a series of inspection campaigns, some of which relied on precise intelligence information, as 32 tons of expired food materials unfit for human consumption were seized, including 25 tons that were confiscated, while seven tons were immediately destroyed due to their danger to public health,” he added.
The agency has seized 200 tons of expired food in the past month alone, he said.
Additionally, 25 factories, warehouses, shops and restaurants were punished for “violating regulations and unauthorized to engage in commercial activity.”
The federal government has previously seized massive hauls of goods from Kurdistan Region over “customs violations.”
Baghdad announced in May that it had seized 51 trucks carrying hundreds of tons of goods entering Iraq through the Kurdistan Region, citing violations of customs regulations. The move came amid growing delays in cargo movement between Baghdad and Erbil.