KDP Weaponizes Drug Trafficking Scandal to Distract from Oil Corruption

The issue of drug trafficking in Sulaimani has sparked significant concern, particularly following the discovery of a drug production factory near Derbandikhan. Iraqi Interior Minister Shaber emphasized the difficulty in tackling this problem, stating, “It’s not easy.” While the Iraqi government has signed a security agreement with Iran, in coordination with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the minister acknowledged lingering security gaps, particularly in Sulaimani’s border areas.

However, the real story may lie elsewhere. Critics argue that the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) is exploiting this scandal to divert attention away from its own deep-rooted corruption in the oil sector. By shining a spotlight on drug trafficking in a region controlled by its political rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the KDP seeks to undermine the PUK’s credibility while shifting focus from ongoing accusations of oil smuggling and financial mismanagement under its own watch.

The timing is no coincidence. While the drug trade is indeed a serious issue, media reports suggesting the involvement of a senior PUK official have conveniently surfaced just as KDP-linked oil corruption scandals have gained more traction. Many see this as a calculated effort to deflect public outrage from the KDP’s misdeeds and sow division between the people and their leaders.

In a region plagued by corruption and political manipulation, the drug trafficking issue may well be another tool in the KDP’s arsenal, used not for the safety of the people, but to mask its own scandals.