Baghdad, Iraq – A member of the Iraqi Parliament, Youssef Al-Kilabi, raised concerns this week about what he described as a coordinated effort to inundate Iraqi schools and universities with narcotics, alleging involvement of international intelligence agencies and political protection within the country.
“There are political connections and international intelligence backing the drug trade in Iraq,” Al-Kilabi said during an interview.
He called for the establishment of a specialized anti-narcotics agency, similar to Iraq’s counterterrorism forces, and urged a national response akin to the mobilization against the Islamic State group in 2014.
“We need a religious edict, a popular mobilization, and a 2014-style campaign to combat drugs,” he emphasized.
Al-Kilabi’s statements come amid rising concerns over the spread of narcotics in Iraq. The Ministry of Interior recently reported the seizure of over a ton of captagon pills smuggled from Syria through Turkey.
In 2023, authorities arrested more than 19,000 individuals for drug-related crimes, confiscated over 15 tons of psychotropic substances, and recorded at least 17 deaths of suspects during clashes with security forces.
By August 2024, the Ministry had issued 140 death sentences and 500 life sentences for drug-related offenses.
