Iraq and Syria Conduct Joint Drug Crackdown, Seize Hundreds of Kilograms of Narcotics
BAGHDAD, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) — Anti-narcotics units from both Iraq and Syria joined in a coordinated operation inside Syrian territory, resulting in the confiscation of hundreds of kilograms of illicit drugs and the capture of several internationally wanted suspects, according to Iraq’s Interior Ministry.
The ministry reported that a team from Iraq’s General Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Affairs entered Syria in collaboration with Syrian anti-drug authorities, carrying out the operation.
The joint action yielded the seizure of around 320 kilograms of various narcotics and the arrest of multiple individuals tied to trans-border trafficking networks. Further details were not disclosed.
At the same time, Syria’s internal security authority confirmed that on the same day it intercepted a large shipment of drugs: 108 kilograms of hashish and more than 1.27 million Captagon pills, with an estimated street value in the millions of U.S. dollars.
Earlier this week, the Syrian authority announced that it had seized approximately 12 million Captagon pills during a raid on a smuggling network near Damascus. Captagon, an amphetamine-type stimulant, is one of the most trafficked drugs in Syria and the wider region.
The announcement of the joint operation came just two days after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al‑Sudani stated that Iraq and Syria maintain “ongoing security coordination and cooperation” through their respective embassies in Baghdad and Damascus to monitor and combat both Islamic State militants and drug trafficking networks. (Xinhua News).
