Erbil security confiscate 41 kilograms of narcotics, detain two suspected smugglers near border with Iran
The Kurdistan Region's Anti-Narcotics Directorate added in a statement that the suspects—one of whom is Iranian and the other is a Kurdistan Region resident—were carrying 41 kilograms of narcotic substances.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Anti-Narcotics Directorate in the Kurdistan Region’s Erbil province announced on Monday that its forces had arrested two suspects at the border town of Haji Omaran allegedly attempting to bring in a large amount of banned substances from Iran.
The directorate added in a statement that the suspects—one of whom is Iranian and the other is a Kurdistan Region resident—were carrying 41 kilograms of narcotic substances. It explained that the material was hidden in their car’s dashboard.
The statement noted that the detainees were referred to the regional judiciary, and will be charged according to Article 14 of the Iraqi Anti-Narcotics Law.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced on June 26th, the arrest of 586 suspected drug dealers and users in 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
The sale and consumption of any narcotics or controlled medications 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.
Most of it is smuggled into the country through its porous border with Iran, on its way to Turkey, Syria, and ultimately Europe and North America.
Editing by Khrush Najari
