Picasso painting found in drug dealers' possession

CAIRO – 17 August 2022: The Iraqi authorities said that they had found a Picasso painting worth millions of dollars during a raid on a drug den, on Saturday, in Diyala Governorate, central Baghdad.

Authorities said a Picasso painting was in the possession of three suspects, who had been arrested for their alleged involvement in drug dealing and transportation.

“A painting by the world-famous painter Picasso was seized in their possession,” Colonel Bilal Sobhi, director of the Media Office for Drug Control said in a statement to the Iraqi News Agency, according to ARTnews.

Sobhi added that the raid was part of a larger campaign against drug smuggling that began in July. He said that the authorities arrested 1,300 suspects and seized "44 kilograms of narcotics" and "37 kilograms of steroids."

The painting’s photos and condition have not been disclosed. According to The National, the authenticity of the painting is yet to be verified, and the Iraqi Ministry of Interior is yet to announce whether any other notable artwork or cultural artifacts have been discovered in the raids.

Picasso, one of the most famous artists of the 20th century, is credited for founding the Cubist Art Movement.