Central criminal court sentences seven to death for drug trafficking

BAGHDAD – The Central Criminal Court in Baghdad issued death sentences on Sunday for seven individuals convicted of importing and exporting drugs, including one foreign national.

The court’s first death sentence was given to four convicts involved in importing and exporting narcotics. The second death sentence was issued for three convicts, one of whom is a foreign national, for importing narcotics from neighboring countries for the purpose of trafficking, according to a statement from the Supreme Judicial Council.

The identity of the foreign convict has not been revealed.

These sentences were issued under the Drug and Psychotropic Substances Law No. 50 of 2017, in conjunction with Articles 47, 48, and 49 of the Iraqi Penal Code.

The death penalty highlights the persistent challenge of drug trafficking in Iraq, with authorities apprehending 144 international drug traffickers in 2023 alone.

Additionally, raids conducted last year against drug dealers resulted in the seizure of four tons of narcotics, 15 tons of psychotropic substances, along with 1,700 firearms and 1,200 vehicles.

Penalties for drug traffickers in Iraq range from several years’ imprisonment to life sentences and, in severe cases like today’s, the death penalty.

The Anti-Narcotics Directorate reported the arrest of 6,000 suspects for drug-related crimes in 2024, along with the seizure of 10 tons of various drugs.