PHOTOS: Police thwart attempt to smuggle 52 more people into Erbil during curfew

On Saturday, police in the Kurdistan Region's capital of Erbil announced that they had seized five vehicles carrying 52 individuals as drivers were attempting to smuggle them into the city illegally in violation of travel restrictions that are part of a regionwide curfew aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Saturday, police in the Kurdistan Region's capital of Erbil announced that they had seized five vehicles carrying 52 individuals as their drivers were attempting to smuggle them into the city from the direction of the disputed city of Kirkuk in violation of travel restrictions that are part of a regionwide curfew aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus.

“Traffic police and (Ziravani) Security Force checkpoints on the Erbil-Kirkuk road seized 5 vehicles" that were "carrying 52 individuals in an attempt to smuggle them in from outside the city of Erbil,” said Fazil Haji, spokesperson of Erbil Traffic Directorate said in a statement.

He added that the vehicles were Toyota Helux pickups and Kia trucks and that the passengers, as in recent similar incidents, "were workers and had not undergone any medical tests" to rule out having been infected by the highly-contagious disease.

One of the five vehicles whose drivers attempted to smuggle 52 individuals into Erbil in violation of the coronavirus curfew, March 28, 2020. (Photo: Erbil Traffic Police)
One of the five vehicles whose drivers attempted to smuggle 52 individuals into Erbil in violation of the coronavirus curfew, March 28, 2020. (Photo: Erbil Traffic Police)

Haji continued by explaining that the vehicles had been seized and the 52 workers handed over to Erbil Security Forces (Asayish) to receive medical examinations by health professionals.

In the past week, the Erbil Traffic Directorate announced that it had foiled three separate attempts to smuggle people into the city during the strict coronavirus lockdown that restricts such movement of the general population, both within and between cities in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. 

Read More: Erbil security foils third attempt to smuggle people into city in one week

As in efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has ramped up checkpoint inspections throughout the Kurdistan Region, especially on roads from other parts of Iraq, to make sure all trucks are only carrying freight deliveries of food and other necessities. 

One of the five vehicles whose drivers attempted to smuggle 52 individuals into Erbil in violation of the coronavirus curfew, March 28, 2020. (Photo: Erbil Traffic Police)
One of the five vehicles whose drivers attempted to smuggle 52 individuals into Erbil in violation of the coronavirus curfew, March 28, 2020. (Photo: Erbil Traffic Police)

In a previous statement, Haji warned that various Kurdistan Region security forces including police, traffic authorities, civil defense, and others will always maintain a heavy presence on all main roads and will inspect any suspicious-looking vehicles.

After a single driver was arrested for attempting to smuggle two Nepalese workers into Erbil on Wednesday, the spokesman called on Kurdistan Region residents “not to destroy the city and the region for a sum of money.”

One of the five vehicles whose drivers attempted to smuggle 52 individuals into Erbil in violation of the coronavirus curfew, March 28, 2020. (Photo: Erbil Traffic Police)
One of the five vehicles whose drivers attempted to smuggle 52 individuals into Erbil in violation of the coronavirus curfew, March 28, 2020. (Photo: Erbil Traffic Police)

Also on Saturday, the regional Health Ministry confirmed nine more COVID-19 cases as the total infections throughout Iraq, including those in the Kurdistan Region, topped 500. Later, the ministry reported three additional cases, bringing the total in the Kurdistan Region to 125.

Read More: KRG announces 9 new COVID-19 cases; Iraq's total tops 500

Over 660,000 people are confirmed to have contracted the virus in over 180 countries worldwide, according to data compiled by WHO. More than 30,000 have died, as per official numbers reported by governments around the world, though the rate could be dramatically higher in some instances due to underreporting. 

Editing by John J. Catherine