Iraq and UAE dismantle drug smuggling network, arrest 20 suspects

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraq’s Ministry of Interior cooperated with UAE authorities to destroy an international drug smuggling network, resulting in the arrest of 20 individuals of Gulf, Arab, African, and Asian nationality. The operation resulted in the confiscation of 200,000 Captagon tablets and more than 30 kilos of narcotics, including cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, marijuana, hashish, and synthetic substances known as spice. According to UAE police, the network sought to transport the narcotics across a border region in Ras Al Khaimah with the intention of distributing them throughout the nation. Iraq’s General Directorate for Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, the UAE’s National Drug Enforcement Authority (NDEA), and Ras Al Khaimah Police were all engaged in the operation, which was judicially coordinated by the UAE’s Federal Public Prosecution. Iraqi and Emirati officials shared intelligence, which helped them identify the network, thwart the smuggling effort, and arrest individuals involved. The operation demonstrates Iraq and the UAE’s continuous security collaboration in the fight against worldwide narcotics trafficking and organized crime.