ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An Iraqi border ports official said on Wednesday that more than 400 vehicles deemed “unfit for import” have been seized in southern Iraq over the past two months. “More than 400 vehicles, along with 55 disassembled vehicles, were seized at the port of Umm Qasr in Basra province,” relayed Alaaldin al-Qaisi, spokesperson for Iraq’s border ports authority, to Rudaw. He also noted that an additional 25 containers containing medicines, medical equipment, and supplies were confiscated at the same port. In the past two months, 366 cases of customs violations were referred to court, while 112 individuals were arrested. Additionally, 208 people were deported from Iraq for violating residency regulations. Among them, 18 were detained for money laundering offenses, and 46 others, including women, were arrested on drug charges, according to Qaisi. The border port official further noted that Iraqi authorities intercepted a large shipment of smuggled electronic devices hidden in eight containers to evade customs duties. The operation recovered over 3 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $2.3 million) for the state budget, as the smugglers attempted to pay only 2.83 million dinars (around $2,150) in duties. At the Zurbatiyah border crossing in Wasit province, three vehicles carrying medicines were seized, and a smuggling gang involving three people - two Iraqis and a foreign national - was also arrested for attempting to smuggle European cars into Iraq.
