ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq’s National Security Service (INSS) on Thursday announced arresting more than 800 individuals on drug-related charges in 2025, in addition to seizing hundreds of kilograms of narcotic substances, as the country ramps up efforts to combat the spread of narcotics.

INSS spokesperson Arshad al-Hakim said the service has seized 112 kilograms of narcotics and around 621,000 narcotic pills during the past year. A total of 835 “drug dealers and traffickers” were arrested nationwide by the INSS throughout 2025.

Hakim also announced “dismantling” at least 14 so-called “international drug trafficking networks.”

Despite imposing severe penalties, Iraq continues to face an escalating drug problem that has intensified since the US invasion in 2003. Iraq's stringent narcotics laws, which impose death or life sentences for drug-related offenses, are a response to the severity of the crisis but have yet to curb the increasing drug use and trafficking fully.

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

According to the World Police Summit held in the United Arab Emirates in May, Iraq ranked third in combating narcotics, with India in first place and Montenegro coming second. The summit evaluated 138 countries and 205 government and non-government organizations.

The INSS further announced carrying out 434 arrest warrants for individuals accused of conducting acts of “terrorism”, particularly individuals linked to the Islamic State (ISIS), whose remnants continue to pose a threat to the country’s security almost a decade after its territorial defeat.

Additionally, at least 238 were arrested on charges related to “extremist religious movements, and 342 individuals were arrested on charges related to the banned Baath Party, according to the spokesperson.

The Baath Party ruled Iraq from 1968 until 2003, when the party’s leader, Saddam Hussein, was toppled and the regime collapsed in a US-led operation. The party is banned under Article 7 of the constitution, which prohibits glorifying or promoting symbols of the regime.

In July, the INSS announced foiling plans by suspected members of the party to carry out sabotage operations in three provinces, and arresting 40 suspects linked to the efforts.