Iraqi security forces have seized a factory being used to produce Captagon pills, the Interior Ministry has said, the first such discovery in a country plagued by unprecedented levels of drug trafficking and consumption.
The site was found in Al Muthana province, about 300 kilometres south of Baghdad, that borders Saudi Arabia, the ministry said.
"Today, and maybe for the first time, a factory where Captagon is produced was found," Interior Ministry spokesman General Saad Maan said in a video posted online.
“This operation has two indications: the first it is a qualitative leap for the intelligence efforts and second is the bid by some to launch [Captagon] production inside the country.”
Mr Maan described the efforts to eliminate drugs as Iraq’s “real war, which is seeing positive results in seizing big quantities of different kinds”.
The ministry did not announce if there were arrests but said the site contained machines capable of producing Captagon pills, as well as 27.5 kilograms of raw material.
On Friday, Iraqi security forces said they had dismantled the "most dangerous international drug trafficking ring" and arrested three of its members in Muthana province. Two million Captagon pills were also seized.
For decades, Iraq was considered a vital corridor for the smuggling of drugs to neighbouring countries. But after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime, drug use in the country has greatly increased.
A succession of weak governments, widespread corruption among security forces and a lack of co-operation between government agencies and high unemployment are the main reasons behind drugs proliferation.
Captagon has become the second most widely used drug in the country, according to the Health Ministry, overtaking tramadol, heroin and hashish in popularity and lagging behind only crystal methamphetamine, the use of which has skyrocketed in southern Iraq.
Iran is said to be the main source of crystal methamphetamine found in Iraq, while Syria is the source of most of the Captagon, Iraqi officials have said. Lebanon, which is also going through a spike in poverty amid a sharp economic decline, is also a source.
Combating drug trafficking was among the top issues Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani discussed with the Syrian President Bashar Al Assad during an official visit to Damascus on Sunday.
Both leaders described drugs as one of the main challenges their countries face, saying they will enhance co-operation on this front.
The US and the EU claim that Syrian government officials are directly involved in the Captagon trade, and the European bloc has sanctioned several in connection with drug smuggling. The Syrian government has dismissed the allegations as "lies".
Syria said at an Arab foreign ministers meeting in May that it was ready to "strengthen co-operation" with Jordan and Iraq, "affected by drug-trafficking and smuggling across the Syrian border".
Areas in central and southern Iraq bordering Iran have become major narcotic trafficking routes for drugs, including crystal methamphetamine.
In November, Iraqi security forces announced the arrest of a man producing "large quantities of crystal meth" in Iraq, who had acquired his drug production experience while living abroad.
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Fixture
Friday, March 29, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, The Sevens, Dubai
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Honeymoonish
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Racecard
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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4. Shahada
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The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
The%20Crown%20season%205
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
