A total of 33 drug, narcotic pills dealers have been arrested in Kurdistan region in January 2017, according to a statement released by the Erbil’s drug fighting directorate on Sunday.
 The forces also seized and confiscated seized a large quantity of drugs that were in the possession of the arrested man, the statement added.
The problem of drug addiction has been growing among the children of Iraq. When contacted for comment on available data, a UNICEF representative pointed out that 10% of them are drug addicts.
The arrestees include an Iranian national who was arrested on January 17 in possession of 4.5 Kg of drugs he hid under his clothes.
A police patrol suspected in one of the cars and when they searched it they found 4 kg of narcotic pills in possession of another Iranian national.
Out of the 33 arrestees, 20 were drug dealers as they were arrested in possession of large amounts of drugs while the other 13 were drug addicted and were arrested in possession of relatively smaller amounts, according to the statement.
The drug addiction problem is taking on new dimensions in Iraq as the number of drug addicts increases. Meanwhile, there are not enough rehabilitation centers and social and humanitarian associations to help restore addicts to a normal life. The addict is left to himself, not knowing if he can stop using drugs, in the absence of a clear national strategy to fight drug use.
On Dec. 20, when the Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of a group of six people who were trafficking narcotics in a horse stable in the Abu Ghraib area, west of Baghdad.