By John Lee. Iraq's Federal Court of Cassation has ratified the imprisonment of a former director of the Customs Center at Najaf Airport. According to the Commission on Integrity, the director took money to allow the smuggling of 400 boxes of medicine through the airport. (Source: Commission on Integrity)
By John Lee. Deceptive shipping practices are reportedly being used in an attempt to conceal cargoes of sanctioned Iranian fuel oil being shipped via the Iraqi port of Khor al-Zubair. Writing in Lloyds List, Michelle Wiese Bockmann gives details of a network of shell companies running 'dark' tankers to transport the sanctioned fuel. Click here […]
By John Lee. Three men and a woman have reportedly been charged in Canada in connection with a scheme to smuggle stolen high-end cars and pickup trucks into Iraq. According to CP24, the gang stole 39 cars, including a BMW X6, usually from car rental agencies. The accused are named as Yehia al-Jbouri, Amer al-Ogaili, […]
By Adnan Abu Zeed for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Accusations are flying about oil smuggling in Iraq's Ninevah province, and many accusers say government officials, armed factions and other powerful parties are involved. Representatives of the province, including parliament member Ahmed al-Jubouri, have said recently […]
By John Lee. Five suspected members of an organized crime ring that was smuggling stolen cars into Iraq have reportedly been arrested in Turkey. Police detained three members of the gang, one of them a Greek national, at a customs office in Istanbul after they cleared a luxury Jaguar through customs. They later detained a […]
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) returned 3,800 ancient artifacts, including cuneiform tablets, cylinder seals, and clay bullae, to the Republic of Iraq. The artifacts were smuggled into the United States in violation of federal law and shipped to Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc, a nationwide arts-and-crafts retailer. Many of the tablets can be shown to […]
By John Lee. Nearly 4,000 ancient artifacts illegally acquired by a US-based arts-and-crafts retailer are to be returned to Iraq on Wednesday. In July of last year, Hobby Lobby agreed to pay a $3 million fine for illegally importing thousands of ancient Iraqi artifacts smuggled into the US through the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel. […]
An indictment was unsealed on Friday charging Ross Roggio, 49, of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and Roggio Consulting Company, LLC, a firm with which Ross Roggio was associated, for alleged involvement in a conspiracy to illegally export firearm parts, firearm manufacturing tools, and “defense services,” including items used to manufacture M4 rifles, from the United States to […]
By John Lee. Qatar and Iraq have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance security co-operation between the two countries. According to Gulf Times the MoU aims to enhancing security co-operation, co-ordination, and the exchange of information and expertise between the two sides. It covers almost all areas including terrorism and its finance, combating […]
By Wassim Bassem for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq's Ministry of Health and Environment released 20 falcons back into the wild Nov. 17. The falcons had been smuggled earlier in the month to Kuwait, which returned them to Iraq. This […]
By Mustafa Saadoun for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. On Aug. 7, Dhi Qar province, south of Iraq, formed a security force to protect its archaeological sites and monuments. The province is one of Iraq’s richest in archaeological sites, some of which are 7,000 […]
By John Lee. A US-based arts-and-crafts retailer has agreed to pay a $3 million fine for illegally importing thousands of ancient Iraqi artifacts smuggled into the US through the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel. in December 2010, Hobby Lobby executed an agreement to purchase over 5,500 artifacts, comprised of cuneiform tablets and bricks, clay […]
