Kurdistan Region Security Dismantles International Drug Trafficking Networks, Seizes Massive Quantities of Narcotics
ARK News.. The Directorate of Drug Control, operating under the General Directorate of Asayish in Erbil, announced the results of its major operations to combat drug trafficking, confirming the dismantling of international trafficking networks and the seizure of large quantities of narcotics intended for distribution.
Captain Arkan Bibani, an officer with the Drug Control Directorate of the Erbil Asayish, revealed during a press conference that high-level security coordination with the federal government in Baghdad and the Drug Control Directorate in Sulaymaniyah led to the arrest of 13 major drug traffickers.
According to the Directorate, more than one and a half tons (1,575 kilograms) of crystal meth and Captagon pills were seized in pre-emptive operations that extended beyond the geographical boundaries of the Kurdistan Region.
On the law enforcement front, Bibani announced that 1,297 legal cases were concluded in the competent courts, followed by the destruction and incineration of more than 1.3 tons of confiscated narcotic substances.
Within the framework of correctional measures, 601 convicts were released after completing their legally mandated sentences in rehabilitation facilities.
Data on detainees in 2025 showed that 46% were aged between 18 and 30, followed by the 30–40 age group at 36%. These figures prompted the Directorate to intensify its preventive efforts, organizing nearly 150 awareness seminars and distributing thousands of educational booklets and awareness materials in schools, cultural centers, and religious institutions.
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