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WADA Calls Yemen Raid a "Landmark Moment" After 447kg Drug Seizure

WADA's investigations chief called a Yemeni enforcement operation that seized 447kg of narcotics and performance-enhancing drugs a "landmark moment." Officials say the haul — mainly amphetamines — and the dismantling of a modern lab indicate traffickers are exploiting regional instability. Yemeni and WADA authorities allege involvement by foreign experts and possible links to armed groups; Iran has denied the claims. WADA says international intelligence cooperation is key to addressing the problem.

07:52 AM, 11/27/2025Security
WADA Calls Yemen Raid a "Landmark Moment" After 447kg Drug Seizure

The head of investigations at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has described a large multi-site operation in Yemen that recovered 447kg of narcotics and performance-enhancing substances as a "landmark moment." Authorities say the haul consisted largely of amphetamines and other stimulants and that the raids — some conducted at sea — demonstrate growing capacity to trace cross-border trafficking of prohibited substances.

Operation and arrests

Major Murad al-Radwany, Interpol's internal security coordinator based in Yemen, said investigators dismantled what he described as the first fully equipped modern factory found inside Yemen and that experts believed to be associated with the operation were arrested before the facility began full production and exporting drugs. He said suspects detained include individuals described by authorities as Syrian and Iranian "experts."

"It was controlled and dismantled before it began operations and exporting drugs and stimulants abroad, and the experts were arrested," Major Murad al-Radwany said.

Allegations and denials

Yemeni officials and WADA allege that some producers from Syria and Iran have shifted parts of their operations into Yemen in recent months, taking advantage of local instability and economic hardship. Officials further claim the trade can provide revenue for armed groups in the country. An Iranian foreign ministry official rejected those accusations as "unfounded" and said Iran cooperates in fighting organised crime and drug trafficking.

Wider response and implications

Gunter Younger, WADA's head of investigations, said the raids signal that trafficking in performance-enhancing drugs has moved beyond a sports problem to a broader public-health and transnational crime concern. He highlighted the role of WADA's Global Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigation Network (GAIIN) in reframing the issue and encouraging law enforcement agencies to allocate more resources to tackle these supply chains.

"These gangs are using established criminal mechanisms to take advantage of the profitability of these products," Younger said. "Every bust, each network or lab dismantled, each seizure made and each criminal convicted helps to swing the pendulum back in our favour." He praised the bravery of Yemeni investigators who carried out the raids despite personal risks.

What this means

The operation underscores growing international concern about the illicit manufacture and trafficking of both narcotics and performance-enhancing drugs, the potential public-health risks they pose, and their links to organised crime. Authorities say continued international cooperation and intelligence sharing will be critical to disrupting these networks and preventing the export of illicit substances to neighbouring states.

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