Shafaq News/ Statistics from theKurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC)'s Anti-Narcotics Directorate, onFriday, revealed that nearly 700 people have been arrested for drug traffickingsince early 2024.
Statistics showed that over 1,311people have been arrested for drug use and trafficking since early 2024,including 698 on trafficking charges, with 444 kilograms of drugs seized.
Kurdistan Region’s Efforts to CurbDrug Trade
Authorities in the Kurdistan Regionare intensifying efforts to combat drug trafficking and curb its spread,following reports from security officials of rising drug trade, promotion, anduse across Iraq, including the Region.
The Kurdish Government (KRG) hassignificantly ramped up its actions to combat drug trafficking and addiction,calling for cooperation from both Kurdish and international communities toaddress what it described as an 'endemic' threat.
During a conference on combatingdrugs and psychotropic substances in Erbil last March, Prime Minister MasrourBarzani emphasized the Government's initiatives to curb the spread of narcoticsand urged for collective action to address the underlying causes ofdrug-related issues.
Barzani pointed to armed groupsoperating in disputed areas between Iraq and the Region, as well as along theRegion's borders with neighboring countries, as hindrances to Kurdish securityforces' activities in combating drug trafficking. These groups, he noted,exploit security vulnerabilities and impede anti-drug operations.