Iraq helps Lebanon dismantle a massive Captagon factory in Bekaa, marking a significant regional step against narcotics trafficking. The Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced the operation, highlighting the importance of security coordination between Iraqi and Lebanese intelligence agencies.
According to officials, Iraqi intelligence provided precise details that guided the Lebanese army in a mid-July raid. The raid targeted a large Captagon production site, seizing it before vast quantities of drugs reached the market. This coordinated effort disrupted one of the most dangerous narcotics networks in the Middle East.
Observers consider the operation one of the strongest strikes against Captagon networks in recent years. Iraq helps Lebanon dismantle such dangerous networks not only to protect Lebanon but also to safeguard regional stability. The raid showed how intelligence cooperation can directly weaken criminal drug cartels operating across borders.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has repeatedly warned about the risks of drug trafficking. During the Baghdad International Conference on Countering Narcotics in July 2024, he stressed that narcotics pose a threat comparable to terrorism. Both destroy family structures and undermine social security, he explained.
Despite these bold actions, Iraq continues to face its own domestic struggle. In recent years, the number of addicts and traffickers inside Iraq has risen at an alarming pace. In March 2024, the Ministry of Interior revealed that security forces arrested more than 1,400 suspects on drug-related charges in just one month. These included several foreign traffickers who attempted to use Iraq as a transit route.
Authorities also seized nine tons of psychoactive chemicals and nearly 390 kilograms of narcotics during that same month. Furthermore, in July 2023, Iraqi security discovered the first-ever Captagon production factory in the southern governorate of Muthanna. That finding confirmed how traffickers now view Iraq as a profitable production and distribution hub.
Experts estimate that the drug trade in Iraq has already exceeded $10 billion, highlighting the scale of the challenge. Still, Iraq helps Lebanon dismantle trafficking networks as part of a broader effort to strengthen regional security. By targeting factories and cutting production chains, Iraq and Lebanon show that coordinated intelligence remains one of the strongest weapons in the fight against narcotics.
