2026-04-09T06:29:18+00:00
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Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq on Wednesday dismantled two criminal networks linked to
drug trafficking and the exploitation of minors, in coordinated operations that
stretched across multiple provinces and involved regional cooperation.
According to Ziad Al-Qaisi, head of the Iraqi Directorate of
Narcotics Affairs media office, security forces working alongside Syrian
authorities disrupted an international drug network in possession of one
million captagon pills. The group was arrested through three coordinated
operations before being referred to the judiciary for legal proceedings.
Read more: 3-year drug crackdown: Iraq busts 230 networks
Kirkuk Police dismantled a human trafficking ring accused of
luring and abducting underage girls and boys, then transferring them to the
Kurdistan Region in exchange for money.
Speaking to Shafaq News, Police Chief Fattah Mahmoud
Al-Khafaji noted that suspicions arose after a checkpoint under Kirkuk police
command intercepted a man traveling with four children —two girls and two boys.
A review of identification documents showed no family ties between the man and
the children, prompting further investigation. Al-Khafaji further revealed that
the suspect admitted during questioning to involvement in several networks
engaged in luring and abducting minors, as well as selling them for financial
gain.
In its 2025 report, the International Organization for
Migration (IOM) estimated that 221,000 people in Iraq are affected by what it
describes as “modern slavery,” with women, children, minorities and displaced
families among the most vulnerable. The United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime (UNODC) reports that adult women account for more than half of all
victims, while girls represent nearly one-fifth. Official figures released last December recorded 2,300 victims over the past three years, during which
authorities dismantled more than 1,800 networks and individuals involved in
trafficking and forced begging.