Illustrative image. By the Iraqi Federal Police. Source: Fb.com/Federal.Police.Force.Command
On June 3, Iraqi security forces thwarted a daring attempt to smuggle loads of drugs into the country using a motor glider.
In a statement, the Security Media Cells said the glider was spotted over the southern province of Basra, specifically over a desert area located on the border with Kuwait known as Jraischan. A joint force from the intelligence and border guards opened fire at the glider, forcing it to land. The shipment was seized. However, the pilot fled towards the border line.
Click to see full-size image. Source: the Iraqi Security Media Cell.
Click to see full-size image. Source: the Iraqi Security Media Cell.
The shipment consisted of roughly a million Captagon bills. Captagon, scientifically known as Fenethylline, is a codrug of amphetamine and theophylline. The drug is widely abused in the Middle East, mainly in the Arabian Peninsula.
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- Click to see full-size image. Source: the Iraqi Security Media Cell.
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- Click to see full-size image. Source: the Iraqi Security Media Cell.
Basra is located on the border with Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The drug shipment could have come from any of these countries.
This was the first well-documented drug smuggling attempt with a motor glider not only in Iraq, but in the entire Middle East.
Traffickers in the Middle East are becoming more and more creative to cope to the ever increasing demand for drugs in the region. Very recently, the Jordanian military shot down a drone that was used to smuggle drugs from Syria into Jordan.
Instability has been fueling drug trade in the Middle East. While the region’s states have been cracking down on drug traffickers, the lack of any coordination due to political differences will continue to bolster the trade in the region.
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Don’t do drugs kids.
Adults as well.
The usual international drug smuggling route in Iran comes from Afghanistan and goes into Turkey or very northern Iraq and Captagon is virtually unknown here yet. The most popular ones are Opium (fun fact: Almost the entire world, including the Greek use its Persian name -Apiyun or Afyun- while we use a form of the Greek word Thiriaki ->Taryak to name it in conversation. We’re weird like that!), Hashish, Crystal meth, Heroin, Grass and some other smokable rubbish.
A very sad day for junkies here was the day the Taliban admin announced they are going to enforce a strict ban on drugs again, ar$#oles caused the price to soar!
But our drug dealers are years ahead of everybody else in regard to technology. I heard it’s been around a couple of years (and saw videos of it) ordering your choice of drug -or alcohol- online on a social media platform, transfer the money, send the location and floor and a drone brings you your order. The guy in the video said if you’re a loyal customer the dealer gives you credit and you can pay after you receive and examine the “cargo”. The dealer’s bank account is rented and social media platforms don’t cooperate with our police, so the dealer is relatively safe and unknown.
I don’t know it’s a precautionary measure or it’s just being Iranian, using technology to do the naughtiest of things. :))
Americans are a little funny these days. People in our country are dying younger, in a large part from doing drugs. Yet they’re voting to legalize the shit and make it easier for people to do. Go figure.