Iraqi forces seize 90 kg of hashish in first deep-water Gulf operation
Iraq's interior ministry said anti-narcotics forces dismantled an international smuggling network in Iraqi territorial waters, seizing 90 kg of hashish and two boats and arresting three suspects including a foreign national. The 16-hour mission from Umm Qasr naval base, announced on 15 August 2026, was described as the first operation of its kind in the depths of Iraq's waters.
🇮🇶 Iraqi territorial waters, operating from Umm Qasr naval base, Basra · Iraq
- Arrested
- 3
- Cannabis
- 90 kg
Iraq’s interior ministry announced that the General Directorate of Narcotics Affairs had
dismantled an international drug smuggling network in what it called the first operation in
the depths of Iraqi territorial waters.[1][2] Three suspects, including one foreign
national, were arrested, and 90 kg of hashish was seized along with two boats used for
smuggling.[1][2]
Anti-narcotics teams set off from the Umm Qasr naval base after several days of
surveillance, on a round trip that took 16 hours to reach the target.[1][2] The operation
ran under the General Directorate of Narcotics Affairs together with the Military
Intelligence Directorate and the Naval Forces Command.[1] The ministry placed the target
in waters adjacent to a neighbouring country, which it did not name.[2]
The announcement came as Baghdad pressed a wider anti-drug campaign: the ministry had
reported seizing more than a tonne and a half of narcotics since the start of 2026.[1]
In January, the National Security Service said it had arrested more than 800 people on drug
charges during 2025.[1]
Sources
- Iraq dismantles international drug network, seizes 90 kg of narcotics. The New Region, 15 August 2026.
- 90 kg of hashish Details of the first major operation in Iraqi waters. Nabamart, 15 August 2026.
Open questions the AI reported
- The ministry announcement is dated 15 August 2026 but gives no separate date for the interception, so the report uses the announcement date.
- The three suspects are not named, and the foreign national's country is not given.
- No charges, trial date or court outcome are reported.
- The ministry places the target in waters adjacent to a neighbouring country it does not name, and says nothing about where the boats came from or were headed.
- The New Region's published image is an AFP file photo and Nabamart's is an illustration; no verifiable photograph of this seizure was found.
- Both accounts retell a single Interior Ministry statement, so no independent account of the interception could be opened.