Erbil forces confiscate 4 kg opium, arrest 2 for smuggling
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Security forces in the Kurdistan Region’s province of Erbil confiscated roughly four kilograms of narcotics as well as arresting three on trafficking charges in the district of Soran on Wednesday, according to a statement released the following day.
The suspects have been charged with attempting to smuggle the illegal drug through Soran, announced Erbil's Anti-Narcotics Directorate.
The substance was transported through Qaladize district which is located along the border with Iran, from where nearly all illegal drugs enter the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. It had been hidden inside a truck that was also carrying a donkey, the statement added.
On Dec. 1, security forces at the Erbil International Airport (EIA) confiscated over six kilograms of narcotics before they were able to be smuggled out of the Kurdistan Region.
Read More: Over 6 kilograms of narcotics confiscated at Erbil airport: statement
In late October, forces arrested two suspects in possession of multiple narcotics and other controlled substances along with three weapons.
Read More: Kurdistan Region arrests 2 suspects in possession of drugs, weapons
In late June, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced the arrest of 586 suspected drug dealers and users over the first half of 2020 to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, observed annually on June 26.
Read More: Kurdistan announces nearly 600 drug arrests in first half of 2020; over 350 kg seized
Kurdish and Iraqi authorities often intercept shipments of drugs passing mainly through the provinces of Basra, Diyala, Erbil, and Sulaimani, specifically in the towns and villages connecting the country with Iran and Turkey.
The sale or consumption of unregulated narcotics is strictly prohibited in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
Editing by John J. Catherine