Erbil security forces arrest suspected narcotics trafficker

An official statement said one police officer was wounded during the arrest.

The arrested suspect along with the seized drugs. (Photo: Drug-Combatting Directorate)
The arrested suspect along with the seized drugs. (Photo: Drug-Combatting Directorate)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The drug enforcement agency in the Kurdistan Region's Erbil announced on Sunday the arrest of a suspected narcotics trafficker and seized three kilograms of hashish in his possession.

The arrest was carried out in cooperation with the Directorate of Asayish at a border crossing in Erbil. The Drug-Combatting Directorate said in a statement one officer was wounded during the arrest of the suspect, referred to by the initials A.A.M.

The sale or consumption of unregulated narcotics is strictly prohibited in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

The authorities across the region have since the beginning of 2021 impounded 214 kilograms various banned substances, 556 kilograms drug-laced tobacco, thousands of hallucinogenic pills and 3,100 US dollars in counterfeit bills, the directorate said in a statement.

Read More: KRG destroys batch of illicit drugs on International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

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 autonomous federal region of Iraq with neighboring nations Iran and Turkey.