Kurdistan Region forces confiscate over 130 kilograms of heroin

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Anti-Narcotics Directorate in the Kurdistan Region on Tuesday announced that, in coordination with the Kurdish Parastin security agency, it had arrested a small international band of traffickers and seized a large amount of controlled drugs being smuggled by them.

“The joint coordination led to the arrest of three suspects and confiscating 130 kilograms of heroin,” read an announcement that the Directorate released to the press.

Local security forces routinely confiscate various kinds and amounts of drugs on the borders and districts that connect the autonomous Kurdistan Region and Turkey, with nearly all being smuggled from Iran.

Last week, the Director of Asayish at the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing that connects the Kurdistan Region's Zakho and the Turkish city of Silopi announced the arrest of two suspects attempting to smuggle 27 kilograms of heroin into Turkey.

Read More: Border security foils attempt to smuggle drugs from Kurdistan to Turkey

The statement also added that the three suspects have been transferred to the judiciary, as their cases will be investigated according to article 14 of the narcotics criminal law.

Over the past few years, authorities in Kurdistan have expressed their concerns over the rising number of illegal drug consumers and traffickers in the region. Iraqi authorities have also arrested multiple Iranians and Iraqis for smuggling drugs through the country.

There are no official statistics on the number of drug-related detainees in Iraqi jails, nor are there figures on the total number of substance abusers. 

Editing by John J. Catherine