Over 940 drug traffickers, consumers arrested in Kurdistan Region over five months

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The anti-narcotics forces in the Kurdistan Region have arrested over 940 people involved in drug trafficking since January this year, according to official figures.

Among those arrested include dealers and consumers of illicit drugs, including methamphetamine over the past five months, as shown by figures provided by the Kurdistan Region’s Directorate of Combatting Narcotics to Kurdistan 24. 

80 percent of those who had been arrested are between the ages of 18-35, the Directorate told Kurdistan 24. Four percent of the arrested individuals were aged under 18.

Forty-nine kilograms of illicit drugs of various kinds of narcotics have been confiscated over the same period, January to May 2023.

Kurdistan Region security forces have tightened measures at border crossings as well as urban centers. They have recently launched a raid on the cafés and restaurants in the capital Erbil, where they had taken samples from hookah tobacco to investigate the presence of any illicit drugs.

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The Kurdish anti-drugs authority has undertaken a number of awareness-raising initiatives and media campaigns across the Region to tackle the looming issue, Arkan Bibani, an officer at the directorate, told Kurdistan 24. 

The officer hailed arresting drug traffickers as an effective measure in the fight against narcotics. 

Iraqi and Kurdish officials regularly announce the confiscation of illegal drugs as well as the arrest of traffickers.

Among other drugs, Captagon pills, a brand name for an amphetamine-like stimulant, are one of the most widely trafficked drugs in Iraq. It is believed that most of the low-cost drugs are produced in war-torn Syria.

Last year, Iraqi forces forced a glider carrying one million Captagon pills to land in Basra. The pills were allegedly being flown through Iraqi airspace to a neighboring country.

Users feel mild euphoria after taking Captagon pills. The use of the drug leads to various health problems, including blood pressure, hallucinations, and blurred vision. Irritability and fatigue are also the two most common withdrawal symptoms of Captagon.

The United Nations annually marks June 26 as the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, on which it raises awareness of the danger of illicit drugs as well as ways to combat the crisis.

Additional reporting by Kurdistan 24 Erbil reporter Azar Farooq