Iraq's cigarette trade: OCCRP investigation into Nizar Hanna Nasri, Waheb Tabra and the Kani import monopoly in the Kurdistan Region (2003 to 2022)
In June 2022 the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and its partner Daraj published an investigation based on leaked corporate intelligence documents of Japan Tobacco International and on interviews. It reported that Nizar Hanna Nasri, an Erbil businessman, built a trade in black-market and counterfeit cigarettes after 2003, with factories in the Kurdistan Region, and that his partners had included members of the Barzani family. According to the documents, two of Nasri's companies paid personal expenses of Nechirvan Barzani in 2004 and 2005, and Kani Commercial Company, in which Nasri and Saed Barzani were partners, took between USD 9 and USD 30 for every case of 10,000 cigarettes entering the Region, with Nechirvan Barzani's support. OCCRP also reported that Nasri's partner Waheb Tabra was arrested in Istanbul in March 2021 by Interpol at Iraq's request, was returned to Iraq and was held at a police station in Baghdad's Green Zone awaiting money laundering and other charges, and that, according to an Iraqi judge, the Integrity Commission had investigated him since 2016. Nasri's lawyer denied any smuggling or counterfeiting, and Nechirvan Barzani's lawyer rejected any allegation of wrongdoing.
- Period
- From 2003 to June 2022
- Sector
- Kurdistan RegionCigarette smuggling and counterfeiting; import monopoly
- Kind of case
- Media investigation
- Jurisdiction
- Kurdistan Region and Federal Iraq
How the money moved, according to the sources
A monopoly on cigarette imports into the Kurdistan Region that charged a fee on every case, with counterfeit production and smuggling to neighbouring countries, according to the leaked documents.
What happened
No charge against Nasri or Nechirvan Barzani is known. Tabra was reported held in Baghdad awaiting charges in June 2022; no later court decision is on record as of 19 October 2026.
Open questions
- The charges Tabra faces in Iraq and their outcome.
- Whether any Iraqi or Kurdistan Region authority has examined the Kani import fees.
People and companies
| Name | Role in the case | Legal status | Detail | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waheb Tabra وهب طبرة | Cigarette trader; partner of Nizar Hanna Nasri | Arrested | OCCRP reported in June 2022 that he was arrested in Istanbul in March 2021 by Interpol at the request of the Iraqi authorities, that he was returned to Iraq and held at a police station in Baghdad's Green Zone awaiting money laundering and other charges, that an Iraqi court had issued a warrant for him as early as 2006 over sanctions law, and that, according to an Iraqi judge, the Integrity Commission had investigated him since 2016 on suspicion of currency smuggling and money laundering. No court decision is on record as of 19 October 2026. | 19 October 2026 |
| Nizar Hanna Nasri نزار حنا نصري | Erbil businessman; head of the Nasri Group and owner of European Tobacco | Accused in credible reporting | OCCRP reported in June 2022, from leaked tobacco industry documents and interviews, that he ran a trade in black-market and counterfeit cigarettes after 2003, controlled cigarette imports into the Kurdistan Region through Kani Commercial Company, and that two of his companies paid personal expenses of Nechirvan Barzani in 2004 and 2005. His lawyer said neither he nor his companies had ever been involved in smuggling or counterfeiting. No official action known as of 19 October 2026. | 19 October 2026 |
| Nechirvan Barzani نيشيرفان بارزاني | President of the Kurdistan Region since 2019; earlier Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region | Accused in credible reporting | OCCRP reported in June 2022 that an expenses spreadsheet among leaked Japan Tobacco documents showed two of Nizar Hanna Nasri's companies paying his personal expenses in 2004 and 2005, including mobile phone bills, costs of a car in the United Arab Emirates and what appear to be cash payments of up to USD 25,000, and that Kani Commercial Company monopolized cigarette imports into the Region with his support. His lawyer rejected any allegation or suggestion of wrongdoing. No official action known as of 19 October 2026. | 19 October 2026 |
| Kani Commercial Company شركة كاني التجارية | Dohuk-based company through which Nasri and his partners controlled cigarette imports into the Kurdistan Region, according to OCCRP | Accused in credible reporting | OCCRP reported in June 2022 that the company, whose partners included Nizar Hanna Nasri and Saed Barzani, took between USD 9 and USD 30 for every case of 10,000 cigarettes that reached the Kurdistan Region, and that two tobacco executives estimated the business at USD 150 million to USD 200 million a year. No official action known as of 19 October 2026. | 19 October 2026 |
Sources
- OCCRP29 June 2022Press reportTier D
Smoke and Mirrors: How the “Father” of Iraq’s Cigarette Smugglers Built An Empire
Original addressOne expenses spreadsheet filed by Japan Tobacco informants showed that two of Nasri’s companies, European Tobacco and Nasri Group, paid personal expenses for Nechirvan in 2004 and 2005.
- OCCRP29 June 2022Press reportTier D
“A Capitalist to the Heart”: An Iraqi Tobacco Tycoon Thrived in the Chaos of Sanctions and War
Original addressIn March last year, Tabra was dramatically arrested in Istanbul by Interpol following a request from Iraqi authorities.
- Daraj (with OCCRP)29 June 2022Press reportTier D
شراكاته امتدت من عدي صدام حسين إلى نيشيرفان بارزاني: كيف بنى "أبو" مهربي السجائر في العراق نزار نصري إمبراطوريته؟
Original addressيتربع رجل الأعمال العراقي نزار حنا نصري على عرش إمبراطورية تشمل الأدوية وواردات الخمور وبعض المنشآت العقارية الأكثر إثارة في أربيل
- Daraj (with OCCRP)29 June 2022Press reportTier D
تاجر سجائر وواجهة نشاط عدي صدام حسين التجاري وهب طبرة: من غسل أموال "داعش" إلى سجن الـ5 نجوم في بغداد
Original addressفي آذار/ مارس من العام الماضي، ألقي القبض على طبرة بطريقة درامية في اسطنبول، بناءً على مذكرة اعتقال أصدرتها بحقه السلطات العراقية عبر الإنتربول
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- Kurdistan Region border crossings: customs revenue said to be lost at official crossings and at more than 20 unofficial crossings run by party-linked bodies (from 2019 to 2026)