The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced on Friday the arrest of 586 suspected drug dealers and users in the first half of 2020 to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, observed annually on June 26.
The region’s General Directorate of Security stated that 292 defendants have already been convicted, while the other 294 cases are still under investigation.
The official statistics released by Kurdistan Region security forces detail the seizure of over 358 kilograms of controlled substances of various types, including heroin, crystal, hashish and others.
Most recently, security forces confiscated some nine kilograms of illegal drugs in the possession of a single suspect on Wednesday in Erbil province’s Soran district.
Counterfeit currency has also been seized, in the amount of 2,650,000 Iraqi dinars, 63,000 US dollars, and 100,000 euros.
The sale and consumption of any narcotics or controlled medications are strictly forbidden in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
In late 2019, the KRG announced that security forces in the autonomous region had arrested 1,702 individuals that had been charged with trafficking or possession of illegal drugs.
