ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi and Syrian security forces seized 2.5 million Captagon pills and arrested three suspected drug traffickers in a joint operation across both countries, the Iraqi interior ministry announced on Thursday. 

The joint operation led to the arrest of one suspect inside Iraq and two others in Syria, according to the ministry. “It also resulted in the seizure of approximately 2.5 million Captagon pills, a significant blow that contributed to dismantling one of the network's main operational routes.”

The suspects are believed to be part of an international drug smuggling network specializing in manufacturing and distribution.

“This achievement reflects the improved level of regional security coordination and the ability of Iraqi security forces to confront cross-border threats and protect society from the scourge of drugs,” the statement added.

With its extensive borders with Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, Iraq has become a major transit route for drug trafficking.

According to the World Police Summit held in the UAE 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.

Baghdad frequently cooperates with neighboring countries to combat narcotic trafficking, as it has ramped up its anti-narcotic efforts.

Earlier this month, Iraq’s National Security Service (INSS) said over 835 suspected drug dealers and traffickers were arrested in 2025 while hundreds of kilograms of narcotics were seized.

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 failed to curb the increasing drug use and trafficking fully.

Captagon, the brand name for the amphetamine-type psychostimulant fenethylline, was mainly produced and distributed in Syria during Assad’s regime. It is mainly used in the Gulf countries, with Saudi Arabia being the main consumer.

Since Bashar al-Assad’s fall in Syria, the new authorities in Damascus have repeatedly announced the seizure of drugs around the country, but neighbouring countries continue to report the interception of shipments.