The Ministry of Interior confirmed: "Gambling halls are hotbeds of crime and most of them have been eliminated." The Spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, Brigadier General Muqdad Miri, said in a press conference: "Organized crime has decreased significantly compared to previous years." He added: "Our priority is to strike the gangs, and we have dismantled many of them," noting: "Oil smuggling operations have decreased by 90 percent." He added: "The Interior has a pipeline to inject new blood, we will reach 7,000 officers with the rank of lieutenant." Source: National Iraqi News Agency