Middle Eastern countries have pledged to step up co-operation against drug smuggling at talks in Baghdad.
Participating countries in the third Baghdad International Conference to Fight Drugs pledged to boost their anti-drugs operations and intelligence sharing.
The conference, hosted by the Iraqi Interior Ministry, brought together interior ministers and heads of anti-drugs services from several countries to discuss anti-drugs strategies. Syria, Lebanon and Jordan were among the countries represented.
In a communique from the talks, the countries committed to “enhance intelligence-sharing mechanisms and security operations based on international laws to dismantle drugs trafficking networks”.
The talks also focused on the importance of international co-operation in developing and strengthening narcotics agencies, making use of research centres and studies, and awareness-raising efforts.
Iraq was considered a vital corridor for the smuggling of drugs to neighbouring countries before the US-led invasion in 2003 that toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime. Since then, drug use in the country has increased greatly.
A succession of weak governments, widespread corruption among security forces and a lack of co-operation between government agencies are considered the main reasons for the proliferation of drugs.
The most widely used drug in the country is crystal methamphetamine, followed by Captagon, according to the Health Ministry. Others include tramadol, heroin and hashish.
Iraq has recently increased operations aimed at curbing drug smuggling and consumption inside the country as well as in co-operation with neighbours, mainly Syria. Several Iraqi and foreign dealers have been arrested, and drugs have been seized almost daily.
Early this month, Iraqi and Syrian authorities announced the seizure of 57kg of drugs in a joint operation in Syria to crack down on smuggling networks. The Iraqi Interior Ministry said two suspects were arrested who were planning to smuggle hashish into Iraqi territory.
In October, Iraq and Syria announced the seizure of 370kg of drugs in a joint operation in Syria. In July, Iraqi counter-narcotics forces seized more than 1.35 million Captagon pills in a raid in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
Captagon is an addictive amphetamine trafficked to countries across the Middle East. Millions of pills were produced in Syria under the Assad regime, with Syria accounting for about 80 per cent of world production, the New Lines Institute think tank said.
In February, Iraq announced the confiscation of an estimated 1.1 tonnes of Captagon pills hidden inside a lorry that entered the country from Syria through Turkey. It was the first major bust since the downfall of the Assad regime in December.
