Erbil security confiscates 2 kg of narcotics, arrests suspect
The Kurdistan Region’s Erbil security forces announced on Monday that they had confiscated two kilograms of narcotics and arrested a suspect, according to a statement from its anti-narcotics department.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s Erbil security forces announced on Monday that they had confiscated two kilograms of narcotics and arrested a suspect, according to a statement from its anti-narcotics department.
The confiscation of the two kilograms of opium took place at the Haji Omaran border crossing, connecting the Kurdistan Region with its neighboring Iran, according to the statement.
The narcotics were hidden inside a piece of metal, which was sunk into a batch of fruits and vegetables, the directorate announced.
A suspect with the initials of M-R-A was arrested and the narcotics were confiscated at the border crossing, according to the security source. The suspected “attempted to bring [narcotics] into the Kurdistan Region,” the source said.
In late October, security forces in Erbil 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 Karzan Sulaivany
