"The defendants first insulted the police, then beat them and managed to escape" from the police station in eastern Baghdad, near the Shiite bastion of Sadr city, the official said, on condition of anonymity.

Prison security is a critical issue in Iraq, where escapes are not uncommon, whether by violence or bribery.

The 12th most corrupt country in the world, experts have pointed to very high levels of corruption in Iraq and its prisons.

During the years of insurrection and sectarian violence that followed the United States' 2003 invasion, hundreds of jihadists -- the majority from Al-Qaeda at the time -- were able to escape from prison.

Iraq is currently seeking to try thousands of local and foreign jihadists, while keeping them in overcrowded prisons.

Many prisons have been rendered unusable by repeated conflicts.

The sale and use of drugs has been booming for years in Iraq.

Almost every day authorities announce the seizure of narcotics or the arrest of traffickers, particularly along the border with Iran.