ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi security forces on Friday announced they arrested a suspected dealer in Baghdad and seized 16 kilograms of marijuana. The Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) said their “detachments carried out a special duty that resulted in the arrest of a drug dealer in the capital, Baghdad, who was in possession of 16 kg of marijuana, in addition to 1 kg of other narcotic substances.” Video published on INSS’ Facebook page shows security personnel opening furniture and boxes tightly packed with what appears to be narcotics. The packages were concealed inside the house where security forces also arrested the alleged suspect. The video also shows one man being accompanied by armed forces into a security vehicle. The drug trade is a serious problem in Iraq, one that leaders in Baghdad have compared to terrorism. More than a ton of narcotics were seized by Iraqi security forces during the first ten months of this year, Iraqi state media reported in late December, citing Judge Walid Ibrahim. Around 75 percent was Captagon, an amphetamine-type stimulant that has been spreading across the Middle East, with Syria the main supplier and Saudi Arabia the primary consumer. Earlier this month, Iraqi security forces dismantled an internationally-linked drug trafficking network and seized over 150 kilograms of Captagon pills. Iraq’s judiciary has handed down strict sentences for drug-related crimes, including 140 death sentences and 500 life imprisonment sentences (20 years in Iraqi law) for smugglers and dealers since the start of 2023, according to data from the Interior Ministry. In 2023, more than 19,000 people were arrested across the country on drug-related charges, according to government data, and over 15 tons of psychotropic substances were seized. The government has also expanded rehabilitation services for drug users. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani in July 2023 ordered rehabilitation centers be built in every province, excluding the Kurdistan Region.
