BAGHDAD, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi authorities said Saturday that over 6 tons of drugs have been seized and 14,438 individuals involved in drug crimes have been arrested in 2024.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry said in a statement that Iraqi judiciary issued rulings against 8,930 detainees, including 144 international drug traffickers who were sentenced to death, and 454 local dealers who were sentenced to life imprisonment.

The statement added that the anti-drug operations resulted in the killing of 11 drug dealers and the wounding of 33 others, while three members of the Iraqi security forces were killed and another 31 were injured during the year.

The anti-drug forces also seized 1,423 vehicles, 365 rifles, 765 pistols, and 153 hand grenades, according to the statement.

The chaos and conflicts in Iraq since the U.S. invasion in 2003 have impeded successive Iraqi governments from effectively addressing the threat of drugs.

In May 2023, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani underlined the importance of waging "a war on drugs," saying that drug dealing remains a major source of funding for terrorism and that the circulation of drugs flourishes in the shadow of terrorism. Enditem

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