Shafaq News- Baghdad
Anti-narcotics units in Iraq’s Interior Ministry seized more than1.697 tons of drugs during 2026 and carried out operations inside and outsidethe country as part of a broad campaign targeting trafficking networks and drugdistribution across Iraq, the ministry stated on Thursday.
Brig. Gen. Abbas Al-Bahadli, director of relations and mediaat the General Directorate for Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, toldShafaq News that the Iraqi judiciary played a “key role in supporting anti-drugefforts through arrest warrants, court rulings, and legal procedures,” notingthat Iraqi courts issued 42 death sentences and 357 life imprisonment rulingsthis year against convicted drug traffickers.
“The directorate carried out 12 operations outside Iraq in2026 in coordination with regional and international security agencies,” headded.
Syrian authorities have repeatedly announced theinterception of drug smuggling operations carried out in coordination withIraq, while Iraqi authorities have also conducted joint operations withneighboring countries, including Syria and Saudi Arabia, to combat cross-bordertrafficking networks.
Al-Bahadli said Iraq opened four new external coordinationpoints this year in Australia, Austria, Niger, and Finland to enhanceintelligence-sharing and field coordination.
He clarified that anti-drug forces engaged in 25 clasheswith trafficking networks, resulting in the death of one Iraqi security officerand injuries to 22 others, while three traffickers were killed and 20 were wounded.
According to Al-Bahadli, recent security operations forcedtrafficking networks to adopt new smuggling methods, including the use ofhot-air balloons.
Earlier this week, Iraq’s Border Forces Command announcedthe interception of two balloon-based smuggling attempts involving around325,000 narcotic pills detected by thermal cameras before reaching theirtargets.
Al-Bahadli explained that Iraqi security forces have shifted“from defense and containment to confrontation and preemptive operations beforedrugs enter Iraq,” urging citizens to report drug trafficking and abuse caseswhile guaranteeing confidentiality for informants.
Alongside security measures, he said the directoratecurrently operates 16 rehabilitation centers providing psychological, medical,and social treatment. The centers have rehabilitated more than 7,000 drug userssince 2023 through psychological treatment programs, vocational training, andeducational support, according to the official.
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Iraq expands addiction treatment and rehabilitation programsunder a broader government strategy combining security measures with psychologicaland medical approaches amid growing concerns over rising drug abuse and itslinks to violence and crime. Under Article 40 of Iraq’s Anti-Narcotics Law No.50 of 2017, drug users who voluntarily surrender themselves are exempt fromcriminal prosecution and referred to treatment and rehabilitation centers. Article37 also exempts some individuals involved in trafficking networks frompunishment if they report the networks before being arrested, with al-Bahadliurging both users and those involved in trafficking to take advantage of theprovision.
