The Iraqi National Security Agency managed to dismantle a criminal network specialized in the theft and smuggling of crude oil through one of the strategic oil pipelines in Al-Muthanna Governorate, indicating that the revenues from theft and smuggling reach up to half a million Iraqi dinars monthly.
A statement from national security received by the Video News Agency clarified that "the operation began with accurate intelligence information from the security directorates of Basra and Al-Muthanna regarding suspicious activities related to crude oil theft, which were verified and matched both through intelligence and field operations. Following that, monitoring operations commenced from the capital Baghdad to Al-Muthanna Governorate, where the tactical team managed to identify the location of the smuggling operations and those involved in them."
It added, "After completing the evidence and obtaining judicial approvals, the site was raided and (4) suspects were arrested, along with the vehicles used to transport the oil, in addition to a farm that was taken as a hideout for smuggling operations near the route of one of the strategic oil pipelines extending from southern Iraq toward Haditha, linked to the oil transport system toward the north of the country.
The operation revealed two breaches in the pipeline and extended hidden and buried pipes underground for about (270) meters leading to inside the farm, while specialized cement transport trucks that were modified to transport crude oil were used in an attempt to disguise the operation.
Initial investigations showed that the revenues from the theft and smuggling operations reached around (500) million Iraqi dinars monthly, while a technical examination conducted by the relevant authorities, based on the signs of corrosion at the breach site, indicated that the breach had been occurring for a long time.
Coordination was carried out with the relevant oil authorities to address and secure the two breaches, and the statements of the suspects and their confessions were recorded, and they were referred to the legal authorities to take the necessary measures against them.