The Iraqi General Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Affairs announced on Wednesday that two drug dealers were arrested in the Kurdistan Region.

The Directorate stated that the operation was carried out in coordination with the Kurdistan Region’s Anti-Narcotics Directorate and security forces in Sulaymaniyah.

During the operation, authorities seized 41 kilograms of crystal and 21 kilograms of marijuana.

The Iraqi and Kurdistan Region’s anti-narcotics directorates are continuing efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks in several provinces, with multiple dealers and various types of drugs seized since the beginning of the year.

Iraq faces growing challenges in combating drug trafficking as its location borders major drug-producing and smuggling countries, with methamphetamines, heroin, and cannabis often transiting for local use and export.

According to officials, Iraqi authorities have made significant progress in recent years, sentencing over 7,000 people in 2023, making 14,438 arrests and securing 8,930 convictions in 2024, while dismantling local and international drug networks.