ERBIL — A prominent human rights defender has called for an international investigation into alleged drug production, trade, and distribution under the control of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) officials in areas governed by the party in Sulaymaniyah.
Sheikh Mohammed Basari, a human rights advocate, revealed that evidence from Iraqi authorities points to a drug manufacturing facility operating in Darbandikhan, Sulaymaniyah province.
Basari referred to a recent 46-page report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which designates Sulaymaniyah as a hub for narcotics production and trafficking within the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and European countries, allegedly under PUK oversight.
He highlighted specific cases, stating, “The report mentions two factories producing Captagon and methamphetamine (crystal) discovered in northern Sulaymaniyah in May 2024, including the Maidan opium factory near Darbandikhan, seized by Iraqi forces earlier this year.”
The Kurdistan Region’s Counter-Terrorism Unit recently shared images of approximately two tons of Captagon pills seized from this facility. Lahore Sheikh Jangi, head of the People’s Front, has alleged that the factory is owned by senior officials.
Basari further noted that the Darbandikhan factory operates under strict security, barring media access and limiting public knowledge about its activities. “To address this issue, it is essential to establish an international investigation committee to close all drug production sites in Sulaymaniyah,” he asserted.
On May 3, 2024, the Kurdistan Region’s General Directorate of Anti-Narcotics, working with international intelligence agencies and the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, seized a narcotics facility in the Maidan district bordering Sulaymaniyah.
Concerns over drug production in Sulaymaniyah province have escalated, with activists pressing the Kurdistan Regional Government’s tenth cabinet to prioritize anti-narcotics measures as part of a broader public safety initiative.
In early October, Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesperson Miqdad Miri confirmed the discovery of a drug factory in Sulaymaniyah, where multiple suspects were detained. “We acted on intelligence about a factory in Darbandikhan, assembling a joint team to investigate,” Miri told Kurdistan 24 at the time. “The Directorate General of Combating Narcotics supported security forces during the raid, resulting in the factory’s seizure and arrests.”
Miri emphasized the ministry’s ongoing commitment to dismantling drug operations across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.