Illustrative image. By the Iraqi Federal Police. Source: Fb.com/Federal.Police.Force.Command
On June 3, Iraqi security forces thwarted a daring attempt to smuggle loads of drugs into the country using a motor glider.
In a statement, the Security Media Cells said the glider was spotted over the southern province of Basra, specifically over a desert area located on the border with Kuwait known as Jraischan. A joint force from the intelligence and border guards opened fire at the glider, forcing it to land. The shipment was seized. However, the pilot fled towards the border line.
Click to see full-size image. Source: the Iraqi Security Media Cell.
Click to see full-size image. Source: the Iraqi Security Media Cell.
The shipment consisted of roughly a million Captagon bills. Captagon, scientifically known as Fenethylline, is a codrug of amphetamine and theophylline. The drug is widely abused in the Middle East, mainly in the Arabian Peninsula.
-
- Click to see full-size image. Source: the Iraqi Security Media Cell.
-
- Click to see full-size image. Source: the Iraqi Security Media Cell.
Basra is located on the border with Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The drug shipment could have come from any of these countries.
This was the first well-documented drug smuggling attempt with a motor glider not only in Iraq, but in the entire Middle East.
Traffickers in the Middle East are becoming more and more creative to cope to the ever increasing demand for drugs in the region. Very recently, the Jordanian military shot down a drone that was used to smuggle drugs from Syria into Jordan.
Instability has been fueling drug trade in the Middle East. While the region’s states have been cracking down on drug traffickers, the lack of any coordination due to political differences will continue to bolster the trade in the region.
- New Drone Attack Targets Key Turkish Military Base In Northern Iraq
- ISIS Releases Photos From Recent Deadly Attack On Farmers In Northern Iraq
