Iraqi General Directorate of Drug Affairs announced on Friday the dismantling of a network in possession of more than two million narcotic pills in a special operation across four Iraqi provinces.

In a statement, the directorate reported, “We engaged with a drug trafficking network attempting to smuggle a shipment of narcotics. The network was dismantled, and 2.5 million Captagon pills were seized.”

The operation, a preemptive special mission, extended from Basra to Najaf, then Anbar, and concluded in Nineveh.

Following the end of May, Iraqi authorities seized approximately 2.5 million Captagon pills in the provinces of Najaf and Anbar, as announced by the spokesperson for the interior ministry, Miqdad Miri.

The anti-narcotics department conducted a series of operations that resulted in the capture of several drug dealers and the discovery of large stashes of narcotics.

In Najaf, intelligence sources revealed that nearly half of the seized pills were found, with one operation leading to the arrest of a dealer carrying 40,000 Captagon pills. This arrest led to a larger bust, uncovering nearly a million pills hidden underground in Najaf's desert.

Despite significant efforts, such as the recent imposition of death sentences on 11 individuals and a total of 70 over the past five months, Iraq is still grappling with a worsening drug problem that has intensified since the US invasion in 2003.

The country, once a transit route for drugs from Iran and Pakistan, has now become a drug manufacturing hub, as noted in a 2022 report by the Washington Institute.

Iraqi security forces have made notable strides, dismantling seven drug trafficking networks in various provinces and seizing the first Captagon lab in Muthanna in July 2023.

However, the country’s infrastructure, including rehabilitation centers, remains insufficient to curb the increasing drug use and trafficking.

Iraq's stringent narcotics laws, which impose death or life sentences for drug-related offenses, reflect the severity of the crisis. Yet, overcrowded prisons and inadequate rehab facilities contribute to high relapse rates among former inmates, complicating efforts to address the drug epidemic.