ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - A member of Sulaimani’s local security forces (Asayish) was wounded as two drug traffickers opened fire on them during an anti-drug operation that led to the arrest of the perpetrators and seizure of 14 kilograms of crystal meth.

A statement from Asayish read that following an armed confrontation, they had arrested two drug dealers, wounded, and seized over 14 kilograms of crystal meth.

Asayish added that one of their members was also wounded in the armed confrontation.

The operation comes after Asayish forces in Erbil on Sunday announced the arrest of three “dangerous” drug traffickers, the seizure of 85 kilograms of crystal meth, as well as a depot. 

“As part of the investigation, it turned out that the trafficking network had a depot at one of the outlying Erbil city’s farms,” the statement said, detailing that “they had been smuggling in the drugs to Erbil from Qaladze town and from there they would distribute them to the cities of Erbil and Duhok.

A delegation from the American Sterling Charity Foundation met with Erbil’s governor Omed Khoshnaw in June to discuss the opening of a rehabilitation center in the province.

The initiative came while another rehabilitation center is at the last stages of completion in the province’s Shaqlawa district, and two more centers are also being established in Sulaimani and Duhok provinces.

Following the 2003 US invasion, Iraq has seen tremendous increase in drug trafficking and use, despite continuous attempts to combat the phenomena.

Iraqi politicians have previously warned against the rapid increase of drugs in the country.

Despite consecutive government cabinet’s pledging 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.