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Joint raids in Homs
Iraqi and Syrian anti-narcotics authorities announced the dismantling of an international drug trafficking ring after joint operations in Syria’s Homs and Deir ez-Zor provinces, with Iraq’s anti-narcotics directorate saying detachments “moved to execute a series of simultaneous operations inside Syrian territory” in coordination with Syrian partners.
“Syrian Ministry of Interior announced today, Sunday, that the Drug Enforcement Administration, in coordination with Iraqi authorities, dismantled an international drug trafficking network, and arrested a number of its members, and seized quantities of Captagon pills and cannabis”
The operation, carried out over several days “deep inside Syria’s eastern Deir ez-Zor and central Homs provinces,” resulted in the seizure of 200 kilograms of various narcotics intended for smuggling into Iraq, including 800,000 Captagon pills and 60 kilograms of hashish.
Syrian state reporting tied the same haul to Syria’s Drug Enforcement Administration working with Iraq’s General Directorate for Narcotics Affairs and Psychotropic Substances, saying the drugs were intended for smuggling and distribution.
The Syrian Ministry of Interior described the effort as “close coordination and intelligence-sharing between Syrian and Iraqi authorities aimed at disrupting international trafficking networks and supply routes,” and said several suspects were arrested during the raids.
Arrests and competing claims
Iraq’s anti-narcotics directorate said the joint raids arrested nine suspected traffickers, describing the operation as dismantling “an international network comprising nine major drug traffickers” alongside the seizure of 200 kilograms of narcotics.
Shafaq News similarly said Iraqi authorities announced the dismantling of an international drug trafficking network in Syria after a joint operation, adding that security forces “arrested nine major drug traffickers and seized 200 kilograms of narcotics.”
Syrian reporting emphasized that the seizures included 800,000 Captagon pills and 60 kilograms of hashish, and framed the raids as synchronized operations across Homs and Deir ez-Zor that targeted supply lines of international trafficking networks.
The Syrian Ministry of Interior also said the operation reflected “a high level of coordination and fruitful intelligence cooperation between the competent authorities in the two countries,” while describing the goal as disrupting smuggling routes and protecting society from the “dangers of this scourge.”
What the crackdown targets
Beyond the immediate seizures, Syrian and Iraqi statements framed the raids as part of a broader campaign to cut off smuggling routes and disrupt international drug networks, with the Syrian Ministry of Interior saying the operation aimed to “disrupt the supply lines of international trafficking networks.”
“The Jordanian army releases images of its strikes against drug networks in Syria”
Rudaw reported that combating drug-trafficking is a major area of cooperation between Iraq and Syria across their 600 kilometer-long shared borders, and said that by mid-2025 cooperation shifted from monitoring to engaging in cross-border raids that allowed Iraqi security forces to enter Syrian territory.
The same Rudaw account said Syria served as a primary manufacturer of Captagon pills under the rule of deposed dictator Bashar Assad, and added that joint Iraqi-Syrian operations had led to the seizure of more than five million pills of the stimulant since the beginning of 2026.
In parallel, SANA said the operation followed a similar crackdown announced in April, when Syria’s DEA and Iraqi anti-narcotics authorities conducted coordinated raids in Damascus Countryside and Homs and seized 1.73 million captagon pills while arresting eight suspects, including a woman.
