A major round-up of criminals in Baghdad: Iraq Police Net Over 500 Suspects in Baghdad.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi police seized more than 500 criminal suspects in raids in Baghdad Tuesday, an Interior Ministry source said.

“Till now the police have arrested 527 people in Rusafa,” the source said, referring to a swathe of Baghdad on the east bank of the Tigris river. He said the raids had begun in the early hours and were still under way.

“The number (of detainees) is more than we expected,” he told Reuters, adding that those held included suspected drug dealers and weapons traders.

He said the raids would continue in the Rusafa area, and would be expanded to other areas of the capital.

“Organized crime is present in many areas, and we have to end it,” the source said.

In the 15 months since the U.S.-led war that toppled Saddam Hussein, there has been widespread lawlessness in Baghdad and throughout the country.

The former Iraqi president released all common criminals as part of an amnesty in October 2002, a move that many say has contributed to a surge in crime.