ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Security forces from the Kurdistan Region and Iraq carried out a joint anti-narcotics operation that led to the arrest of a suspected drug trafficker and the seizure of 11.5 kilograms of marijuana, authorities announced on Tuesday.

According to Iraq’s Interior Ministry, the operation involved close coordination between anti-narcotics directorates in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah and federal security forces in Diyala province, underscoring growing cooperation between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Baghdad in combating drug trafficking networks.

Officials said the suspect was identified and detained following intelligence-sharing and joint tracking efforts conducted between Kurdish and Iraqi security agencies across multiple areas.

Legal procedures have been launched against the suspect under Iraqi law, the ministry said.

Authorities described the operation as part of a broader anti-drug campaign aimed at dismantling trafficking routes linking the Kurdistan Region with central Iraq and neighboring countries.

Interior Ministry data shows Iraqi anti-drug forces seized more than 1.697 tons of narcotics during the first five months of 2026 amid intensified nationwide operations.

The ministry also reported that Iraqi security forces conducted 12 operations outside the country during the same period in cooperation with regional and international agencies targeting cross-border smuggling networks.

Judicial action against traffickers has also increased, with Iraqi courts issuing 42 death sentences and 357 life imprisonment rulings against convicted drug traffickers during the first five months of the year.