The General Directorate for Combating Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced the dismantling of an international network specialized in drug smuggling, which was active within Syrian territory. This was done within the framework of a security operation in cooperation with the competent authorities in Syria.
An official statement issued by the directorate, and reported by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), stated that this operation comes within the context of security and international cooperation. The operation included coordination and joint work between the General Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Affairs in Iraq and the Anti-Narcotics Administration in Syria, with the aim of implementing this security mission within Syrian territory.
According to the statement, the operation resulted in the arrest of two major international drug traffickers, in addition to the confiscation of about 300,000 narcotic pills, which is equivalent to about 50 kilograms of narcotic substances.
The Directorate confirmed that this qualitative operation took place after a team from the Iraqi Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Affairs moved into Syrian territory, noting that the operation achieved “complete success,” which reflects the development in the level of cross-border security coordination to confront drug smuggling networks.
This measure comes in the wake of Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani’s statement, two weeks ago, that the Iraqi leadership has an “early reading” of regional developments, allowing for the development of effective protection plans for the Iraqi-Syrian border.
The Prime Minister’s Media Office stated in a statement that Al-Sudani received the Commander of the US Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, where they discussed the security situation in Syria, especially the areas surrounding the prisons that hold members of the terrorist organization ISIS, and the direct threat they pose to the security of Iraq and the region.
The statement stressed the importance of continuing coordination between the Iraqi security and military leadership and the international coalition forces, including “dividing tasks according to specific timetables, and providing logistical, administrative and technical support, to ensure the implementation of security tasks with the highest levels of safety and consistency.”
Al-Sudani stressed, according to the statement, that “the Iraqi leadership’s ability to read early about the outcome of the regional situation prompted the government to develop proactive protection plans for the borders, by fortifying them with methods implemented for the first time, in addition to returning the largest number of Iraqi families from some camps, in addition to continuing political and security efforts with the relevant regional parties.”
The Iraqi-Syrian border has been suffering from complex security challenges for years, including the activities of terrorist groups and cross-border smuggling networks, especially drug trade, which has become a major source of funding for criminal groups and armed organizations in the region.
In light of the escalation of these threats, Baghdad has intensified its security cooperation with neighboring countries, in addition to coordination with the international coalition, in an attempt to enhance stability and prevent the infiltration of security risks and drugs into Iraq.
