Iraq’s Interior Ministry announced on Saturday that security forces had dismantled what it described as a dangerous international drug-smuggling network during a major operation conducted in the country’s territorial waters.

The operation, reportedly the first of its kind in Iraq’s maritime domain, was carried out by the General Directorate for Narcotics Affairs in coordination with the Military Intelligence Directorate and Naval Forces Command.

Authorities arrested three suspects, including a foreign national, and seized approximately 90 kilograms of hashish along with two boats allegedly used to transport the drugs.

According to the Interior Ministry, security teams departed from the Umm Qasr naval base and travelled for around 16 hours before reaching their designated target. The operation followed several days of intensive surveillance of suspected traffickers operating in Iraqi territorial waters near a neighboring country.

Officials did not disclose the nationality of the foreign suspect or identify the neighboring country connected to the suspected smuggling route.

The operation comes amid an intensified Iraqi campaign against drug trafficking and organized criminal networks. Iraq has increasingly faced the challenge of being used both as a destination and a transit route for illicit drugs moving through the region.

Iraqi authorities have reported numerous large-scale drug seizures in recent years, involving Captagon, cannabis and other narcotic substances. Security officials have warned that trafficking networks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, relying on multiple land and maritime routes to move drugs across borders.

With Iraq’s limited but strategically important coastline along the Arabian Gulf and the presence of major ports such as Umm Qasr, maritime security forces are playing an increasingly significant role in efforts to prevent drug trafficking.

The Interior Ministry said the latest operation demonstrates the growing capacity of Iraqi security forces to monitor, track and intercept international drug-trafficking networks beyond traditional land-based routes, marking a significant expansion of the country’s anti-narcotics campaign.