Baghdad – INA
Ministry of Interior announced on Tuesday that crime rates across the country declined by 18% during the first half of 2026, while nearly 2,000 kilograms of narcotics were seized and more than 2.6 million traffic fines were recorded.
Director of the Ministry’s Media and Public Relations Department, Major General Miqdad Miri, said during a press conference attended by the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that “the first half of 2026 witnessed an 18% decline in crime rates compared to the same period in previous years.”
He added that 1,977 kilograms of narcotics were confiscated during the first half of the year. Authorities also arrested 3,553 suspects in drug-related cases, with 58 defendants sentenced to death and 236 others receiving life imprisonment. He noted that the Ministry carried out 17 cross-border operations targeting drug trafficking networks in cooperation with neighboring and regional countries.
Miri further stated that security forces arrested 289 suspects involved in tribal armed attacks, 102 suspects accused of belonging to extremist religious movements and promoting the dissolved Ba’ath Party, as well as 50 suspects in antiquities smuggling cases.
He added that the Ministry’s efforts also led to the arrest of 83 suspects in cyber extortion cases, 25 suspects in financial fraud cases, and 52 suspects accused of human trafficking.
He concluded by noting that more than 2.638 million traffic fines were issued across Iraq during the first half of 2026.
