Iraq arrests federal police officer in Diyala smuggling probe

BAQUBA, Iraq — Iraqi security sources said the National Security Service detained a federal police lieutenant in Diyala province after a roughly month-long investigation into smuggling and contraband pharmaceuticals. The officer, assigned to the federal police, was taken into custody in Baquba on allegations of involvement in banned substances and illegal drug trafficking, according to the sources. Investigators tracked the officer's activities to a warehouse in the town of Jalawla, where smuggled goods were being transferred between vehicles, the sources said. Two separate operations were carried out as part of the inquiry, they added. The security forces seized several vehicles loaded with contraband and unlicensed medicines at the warehouse, the sources said. Legal proceedings have been initiated against the suspect and the seized materials, according to the same accounts. The National Security Service did not immediately release a public statement on the arrests. No further details on the investigation were available.