ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraqi security forces on Tuesday announced arresting three suspected drug-traffickers and seizing more than two kilograms of narcotics in two different operations in the provinces of Diyala and Najaf.

Iraq’s National Security Service (INSS) said that their forces were able to lure “one of the most prominent drug traffickers in Diyala province” through an ambush in the capital Baghdad “carried out based on precise intelligence.”

The suspect was “caught red-handed” after security forces caught one kilogram of crystal in his possession, according to the statement, adding that he has been placed in detention in accordance with Article 28 of the Iraqi Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law.

The article says that any individual charged with "exporting, importing, producing, or planting narcotic substances” should face death sentence or life imprisonment.

Two other suspects were arrested in Najaf with over one kilogram of crystal in their possession, following “a careful tracking operation,” the statement noted. They have been handed over to relevant authorities for investigations.

Iraq, with its extensive borders with Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, has evolved from a transit route to a significant drug consumption market.

Despite consecutive government cabinet pledges to fight the drug phenomena in the country and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani having ordered the establishment of rehabilitation centers across all Iraqi provinces, the country’s infrastructure is still too weak to combat the rapid increase in drug use.

Iraqi authorities arrested around 14,500 suspects on drug-related charges in 2024, and issued death sentences for 144 suspected drug-traffickers. At least 454 others were sentenced to perpetual imprisonment (20 years in Iraqi law), according to official data.