Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani on Monday warned the trafficking and consumption of illegal drugs poses a significant threat to the region's stability, and called for orchestrated efforts to tackle the issue.
Mr Al Sudani was speaking at the second Baghdad International Conference to Fight Drugs in which interior ministers from Kuwait, Iran and Jordan as well as other officials took part.
“We see drugs as a fundamental factor for instability in the region,” Iraq's Prime Minister told the one-day conference in his inaugural speech.
He said the impact of drugs was similar to that of terrorism as it aimed “to destabilise our security and the stable foundations of our societies, dismantle families and use these poisons to recruit suicide bombers and killers – all these are interconnected elements”.
Addressing the rising drugs trade has been a major security challenge for countries in the region, particularly Iraq, where the fight against narcotics has been stepped up, leading to authorities seizing large quantities.
“The harm of drugs is no different from the effects of wars, displacement and the uprooting the peoples from their historical foundations,” Mr Al Sudani added.
He called for “unifying efforts and enhancing joint co-ordination” in fighting drugs trafficking and consumption.
Iraq was considered a vital corridor for the smuggling of drugs to neighbouring countries before the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime. Since then, drug use in the country has increased greatly.
A succession of weak governments, widespread corruption among security forces and a lack of co-operation between government agencies are the main reasons behind drugs proliferation.
The most widely used drug in the country is crystal methamphetamine, followed by Captagon, according to the Health Ministry. Others include tramadol, heroin and hashish, it says.
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 is also a point of origin of Captagon.
Iraqi Interior Minister Lt Gen Abdul Amir Al Shammari called for a wide international and regional drugs policy, and warned “the danger of this scourge is growing rapidly and will strike everywhere, just like ISIS targeted our communities over the past 10 years”.
In recent years, Iraq has increased operations aimed at curbing drug smuggling and consumption. A number of Iraqi and foreign dealers have been arrested, and drugs have been seized almost daily. However, the pursuit of drug dealers has at times led to the killing of security and government officials.
Last July, the Interior Ministry announced that security forces had found a factory used to produce Captagon, the first such discovery in the country.
The site was uncovered in Al Muthana province, about 300km south of Baghdad and near the border with Saudi Arabia, the ministry said.
The same year, it also announced dismantling what was described as the "most dangerous international drug-trafficking ring", arresting three of its members in Muthana province. Two million Captagon pills were seized.
Growing risk
In a report released on Monday, the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes warned that countries across the region have "registered an escalation in both the scale and sophistication of drug-trafficking operations over the past decade".
"The destabilising risks posed by illicit drugs have become increasingly prominent on the regional agenda," UNODC said.
In addition to concerns sparked by trafficking and consumption, rising production is also an issue, the report which covers the years from 2019 to 2023 found. Top among these amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) are tablets sold under the name Captagon, and methamphetamine, it said.
Methamphetamine seizures increased almost sixfold in 2023 compared to 2019, while Captagon seizures reportedly tripled from 2022 to 2023. Overall amounts of drugs seized in 2023 are 34 times higher than in 2019.
"The legacy of armed conflicts and fragmented state authorities in the wider region have created an environment conducive to the spread and entrenchment of drug production, trafficking and consumption," the report said.
One of the challenge facing countries across the Middle East is a number of "armed groups with cross-border affiliations and transborder economic interests. Alongside a recent history marked by armed conflict and corruption, this situation has contributed to cross-border trafficking," it added.
Over the past five years, UNODC has found a sharp increase in trafficking and use of Captagon in Iraq and neighbouring countries.
Seizures of amphetamine, mainly in the form of Captagon, in the region doubled from 2020, reaching a record high of 86 tonnes in 2021.
In Iraq, Captagon seizures increased by almost 3.38 per cent, with authorities reporting the seizure of more than 4.1 tonnes of the tablets last year alone.
It warned that Iraq is "at risk of becoming an increasingly important node" in the drug-trafficking network spanning the region.
Iraq lies near the intersection of a complex web spanning south-west Asia, Africa and Europe, notably the Balkan and southern routes associated with opiate smuggling from Afghanistan to Europe, through south-eastern Europe and towards the Indian Ocean and Eastern Africa, including through the Arabian Peninsula, the report said.
"The expansion of criminal networks in Iraq and across the region was facilitated by chronic political and economic instability," it said.
RESULTS
6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.
8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
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Not taxed:
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Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
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Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Picture of Joumblatt and Hariri breaking bread sets Twitter alight
Mr Joumblatt’s pessimism regarding the Lebanese political situation didn’t stop him from enjoying a cheerful dinner on Tuesday with several politicians including Mr Hariri.
Caretaker Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury tweeted a picture of the group sitting around a table at a discrete fish restaurant in Beirut’s upscale Sodeco area.
Mr Joumblatt told The National that the fish served at Kelly’s Fish lounge had been very good.
“They really enjoyed their time”, remembers the restaurant owner. “Mr Hariri was taking selfies with everybody”.
Mr Hariri and Mr Joumblatt often have dinner together to discuss recent political developments.
Mr Joumblatt was a close ally of Mr Hariri’s assassinated father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The pair were leading figures in the political grouping against the 15-year Syrian occupation of Lebanon that ended after mass protests in 2005 in the wake of Rafik Hariri’s murder. After the younger Hariri took over his father’s mantle in 2004, the relationship with Mr Joumblatt endured.
However, the pair have not always been so close. In the run-up to the election last year, Messrs Hariri and Joumblatt went months without speaking over an argument regarding the new proportional electoral law to be used for the first time. Mr Joumblatt worried that a proportional system, which Mr Hariri backed, would see the influence of his small sect diminished.
With so much of Lebanese politics agreed in late-night meetings behind closed doors, the media and pundits put significant weight on how regularly, where and with who senior politicians meet.
In the picture, alongside Messrs Khoury and Hariri were Mr Joumbatt and his wife Nora, PSP politician Wael Abou Faour and Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Nazih el Nagari.
The picture of the dinner led to a flurry of excitement on Twitter that it signified an imminent government formation. “God willing, white smoke will rise soon and Walid Beik [a nickname for Walid Joumblatt] will accept to give up the minister of industry”, one user replied to the tweet. “Blessings to you…We would like you to form a cabinet”, wrote another.
The next few days will be crucial in determining whether these wishes come true.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
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