BREAKING: High-ranking officials arrested for alleged fuel smuggling in Iraq

ACCORDING to early reports on Tuesday, November 1, Iraqi security forces arrested the commander of the Energy Police in Iraq, Major General Ghanem Al-Husseini, for his involvement in fuel smuggling.

Iraqi security forces arrested Irag’s Energy Police chief, who was among several high-profile arrests made in connection with an alleged fuel smuggling network in Iraq’s Basra.

The Director of Energy Police in Basra and a number of officers in the Energy Police Brigades were also arrested.

According to sources close to the case, it is potentially the largest smuggling oil network in Iraq’s history and reportedly earns those involved 750 million dollars (€755 million) annually, as reported by 24.ae.

The source explained that the country’s National Security Agency carried out a large-scale security operation in Basra overnight, which resulted in an oil smuggling network being dismantled.

News outlet elaph.com revealed that the source confirmed the criminal network was made up of the highest commanders within Iraq’s Energy Police and around 100 million litres were smuggled per month.

Prior to the arrests of the high-ranking officials, Iraqi National Security recently revealed they had seized more than one million smuggled litres and arrested 117 people accused of smuggling.

Forty-nine tanks and vehicles intended for smuggling were confiscated.

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