Anti-Narcotics Conference in Iraq: The Minister of Interior warns of its threat to the state entity
While the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani, accused armed groups of “obstructing efforts to confront drug traffickers,” Federal Minister of the Interior Abdul Amir al-Shammari said that “drugs are a scourge that threatens the entity of the Iraqi state.”
Barzani and Al-Shammari’s statements came during two speeches delivered at the “Control Narcotics Conference,” which was organized by the International Recommendations Office, with the participation of a number of officials in the governments of Baghdad and Erbil and representatives of a number of diplomatic, UN and international missions in Erbil, the capital of the Northern Kurdistan region.
Barzani said in his speech, “The rates of drug trafficking and drug abuse in the Kurdistan region are on the rise, which poses a danger to society. Kurdistan is making great efforts to combat this phenomenon, and will continue to take the necessary measures to prevent its spread.”
He added, “The Anti-Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law, which was approved in 2020 (in the regional parliament, despite the failure of the Federal Parliament to amend the law), is an important step in combating this scourge. “This requires all concerned parties to coordinate and cooperate to implement it.”
Barzani believed that “drugs constitute a global threat that affects societies, and Iraq and the Kurdistan region are not immune from this,” pointing out that “the mafia and drug traffickers exploit the geographical location of Kurdistan to smuggle drugs to other places; “This led to an increase in the number of addicts in the region.”
Masrour Barzani during a speech at the conference (Kurdistan Regional Government website)
Appeal to international organizations
Referring to Kirkuk Governorate and other areas where there are Kurdish citizens outside the Kurdistan Regional Administration, Barzani spoke of “some armed groups exploiting the security gaps in the areas (Article 140) by obstructing the efforts of the security forces affiliated with the regional government in confronting drug traffickers, especially since some of these The groups are part of drug trafficking networks.”
Barzani revealed that his government had formed “a higher committee to combat drugs that includes a number of ministries and concerned authorities, in addition to establishing a fund to rehabilitate, train and treat drug addicts, as part of our continuing efforts to combat this serious problem.”
Barzani spoke frankly about the region’s need for “international cooperation and support, especially with regard to advice and logistical assistance in the strategy of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and assistance in developing the capabilities of judges and investigators in the Kurdistan region.”
Drug scourge
For his part, Federal Minister of Interior Abdul Amir Al-Shammari warned that “the drug scourge is one of the most serious problems threatening the entity of the Iraqi state.”
Al-Shammari said during his participation in the anti-drug conference: “I am happy today to be among my brothers in the Kurdistan region of Iraq so that we can all share in a unified mission that expresses the unity of our destiny and our common orientations to develop effective solutions and confront one of the most dangerous problems that have begun to stand in our way, which is the scourge of drugs.”
Barzani with Abdul Amir Al-Shammari at the conference (Ministry of Interior website)
He added, “The dimensions that the drug scourge has reached require the officials concerned with maintaining internal security to discuss and intensify meetings and meetings to dialogue together and develop urgent solutions to this dangerous scourge that is threatening our internal security.”
He continued, “The drug crime is one of the most dangerous crimes that threaten the entity of the Iraqi state, which must be a top priority for the executive officials responsible for the security file in the country. The risks resulting from it threaten to strike the foundations of the state and its future leaders, who are the young people who are greatly relied upon to carry the banner of change.” .
Most authorities concerned with drug affairs say that the youth group, between the ages of 20 and 30, is the group most involved in drug abuse and addiction, and that it is spread in poor popular areas in Baghdad, Basra, and the rest of the governorates.
Minister Al-Shammari revealed in a television interview last week that “most of the narcotic trade arriving in Iraq arrives across the border. Captagon pills come from Syria, and hashish and the rest of the narcotic substances pass through Iran and Turkey.”
The minister explained that the drug trade “has been active in the last months and two years in the Kurdistan region of Iraq,” adding that “the battle to fight drugs is long and needs time,” and stressed the necessity of “controlling borders and border crossings; “This will significantly dry up the sources of drug trafficking.”
In mid-June, the Ministry of Interior announced that it had been able to arrest and detain 10,000 people within 8 months in cases related to drug trade and smuggling. It also announced that it had seized a Captagon production factory in the Muthanna Governorate in the south of the country.
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2023-10-16 01:02:14
