On 14 March 2025, police forces arrested a drug dealer near Al Aqrab checkpoint south of Mosul city (coded as Mosul city, Ninewa), seizing 3000 unknown narcotic pills which he was trying to smuggle into Mosul.

Iraq Supply-chain Risk Briefing

1) Summary On March 14, 2025, police at the Al-Aqrab checkpoint south of Mosul in Iraq's Nineveh Province arrested drug smugglers and seized 3,000 pills of unidentified narcotics. This is classified as a strategic-level low-risk incident, corresponding to typical security activity levels in the Mosul region.

2) Supply-chain impact

• Mosul Regional Logistics Security: Checkpoint operations are functioning normally, with minimal expected disruption to legitimate logistics flows
• Northern Iraq Overland Transportation: As Mosul is a hub for major overland transportation routes between Turkey and Iraq, enhanced security activities in the region may have minimal impact on customs procedures
• Energy Infrastructure Security: No direct impact on oil facilities and pipelines near Mosul

3) Watch points

• Monitor whether checkpoint operations are strengthened along major transportation routes between Mosul and Baghdad, and any resulting logistics delays
• Observe trends in overall security situation changes across northern Iraq and border control enhancement measures