Tag Archives | smuggling

New Security Force to Protect Archaeological Sites

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 […]

US Retailer fined $3m for Smuggled Iraqi Artifacts

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 […]

Police Overwhelmed as Drugs from Iran flood Basra

By Mustafa Saadoun for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.  In the oil-rich city of Basra in southern Iraq, drug-trafficking gangs are gaining power. Through certain areas on the Iraqi-Iranian border, drugs come in from Iran to be consumed in […]

PKK "planning to Sell Oil trough Iran"

By John Lee. BasNews reports that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is planning to extract crude oil in the border areas it controls in the Kurdistan Region and transport it to Iran by truck. According to some local sources, a PKK team is building a new 5-km road across the border areas of Kurdistan Region […]

Iraq Struggles to Stop Antiquities Smuggling

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.  On Aug. 30, the Iraqi Integrity Court announced the recovery of the head of the statue of King Sanatruq I, who reigned from roughly 140 to 180, which […]

Smuggling Medicine ‘More Lucrative than Arms and Oil’

This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Locals in Iraqi Kurdistan say they have no choice but to use smuggled medicines. And business in contraband pills is booming, with drug smugglers benefiting from slow approvals and political […]

Drug Smuggling Supported by Maysan’s Tribes

This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Hash, Pills And Speed: Drug Smuggling In Iraq Supported By Maysan’s Tribes Smuggling drugs through Iraq on the way to the Gulf and Europe is big business in Maysan province […]

FBI Warns on Iraq Antiquities Trafficking

The FBI is alerting art collectors and dealers to be particularly careful trading Near Eastern antiquities, warning that artifacts plundered by terrorist organizations such as ISIL are entering the marketplace. “We now have credible reports that U.S. persons have been offered cultural property that appears to have been removed from Syria and Iraq recently,” said […]

IS Sells Oil at Under $30/barrel

By John Lee. The Iraqi Oil Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi claims that the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) are selling oil for as little as $30 a barrel. BasNews quotess the Minister as saying that the militants are getting their oil from two major sites in Salahaddin Province; the Allas and E’jeel oil fields. This […]

IS Exports 100 Tankers of Oil Daily

By John Lee. The Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) is reported to be exports 100 tankers of crude oil every day from the Hamrin oil fields in southern Kirkuk. The US has previously warned that IS is using oil as a major source of funds. An Iraqi army officer, who declined to be identified, told […]