SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Kurdish security forces seized 12 trucks carrying smuggled cigarettes and medicines in southwest of Sulaimani, police said on Sunday, as authorities have intensified efforts to end smuggling of goods into the Region.
Director of Kifri police Kamaran Omer said as many as 12 tons of smuggled cigarettes and medicines were confiscated at Nawjul-Qadir Karam checkpoint in Garmian administration.
Eleven of the trucks were loaded with cigarettes while the other carried medicines, Omer told Esta Media Network.
“The trucks are now seized at the directorate of police in Kifri,” he added, noting that the intent was to take them to other provinces in central and southern Iraq.
Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani has ordered the security forces to tighten border crossings and checkpoints to prevent smuggling of goods and detain people who smuggle goods into the Kurdistan Region.
