Kurdistan Region security confiscates 9 kg of drugs, arrests 6 in Duhok
Kurdish drug-prevention security forces in Duhok arrested six individuals for drug trafficking and confiscated 9 kilograms of narcotics in Duhok city center.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdish drug-prevention security forces in the Kurdistan Region's city of Duhok arrested six individuals for drug trafficking and seized just over 9 kilograms of controlled substances.
“On June 8th, our security personnel conducting an operation were able to bring down a drug trafficking network in Duhok, confiscating 9.1 kilograms of narcotics consisting of heroin, crystal, hashish, marijuana, and other kinds of opium,” a statement from the Anti-Narcotics Directorate in Duhok said.
It should be noted that there is often confusion about the term “crystal” in the region since it is commonly used as the local name for two different highly-addictive drugs. One is methamphetamine, known in much of the world as crystal meth, but it can also refer to high-purity street-level heroin, sometimes called “kerack.”
The statement also mentioned that the six young suspects are accused of being responsible for both smuggling illegal drugs through Duhok, but also distributing them within the city. According to the statement, all six of them had confessed and were transferred to the judiciary for further investigation and trial.
The sale and consumption of any non-prescription drugs are strictly forbidden in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
Kurdish and Iraqi authorities often intercept shipments of drugs passing through Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, mainly in the provinces of Basra, Diyala, Erbil, and Sulaimani, specifically in the towns and villages connecting the country with Iran and Turkey.
Most of it is smuggled into the country through its porous border with Iran and can including various forms of heroin, opium, marijuana, methamphetamines, and pills on their way to Turkey, Syria, and ultimately Europe and North America.
Local activists and authorities have also warned of the rise in drug consumption and trafficking within the country itself.
In December, The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced that, in 2019, security forces in the autonomous region had arrested 1,702 individuals and charged them with either trafficking or possession of illegal drugs.
Read More: Kurdistan Region arrested over 1,700 for drug-related crimes in 2019
Editing by John J. Catherine