Iraq sentences over 300 drug traffickers to death or life imprisonment

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Ministry of Interior has announced that more than 300 local and international drug traffickers have been sentenced to death or life imprisonment this year, marking a significant escalation in the country’s ongoing crackdown on narcotics.

The General Directorate for Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances reported Friday that judicial rulings have been issued against 311 drug traffickers, including 90 international and 221 local offenders. The sentences, which include death penalties and life imprisonment, target those found guilty of trafficking various illegal substances throughout 2024.

In a related development, the Iraqi Border Guard Command stated that its forces apprehended five suspects in possession of narcotics during separate operations in Basra and Wasit governorates. According to the statement, “police detachments from the Zarbatia Customs Police Station, under the Third Customs Police Directorate, and the Shalamjah Customs Police Station, under the Fourth Customs Police Directorate, arrested four foreign travelers and one Iraqi, who were found with narcotics, including opium and crystal meth.” The suspects and the seized materials have been referred to the judiciary.

On July 28, the Ministry of Interior confirmed plans to establish a regional drug control operations center in Baghdad, following a recent meeting of interior ministers from neighboring countries. The ministry also released statistics on drug seizures over the past seven months.

Maj. Gen. Muhannad Hatim, Director of the Legal Affairs Department at the Directorate for Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Affairs, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that “the total seized amounts of narcotics, including hashish, crystal meth, Captagon, and others, reached approximately two tons and 20 kilograms. Nearly 8,000 suspects, including users, dealers, and traffickers, have been arrested since the beginning of the year.”

He added that “while Iraq has traditionally been a transit country for narcotics, it has increasingly become a destination for consumption in recent years.” Hatim noted that “the anti-drug strategy adopted by the government and the Ministry of Interior is yielding results, as evidenced by the rising number of users seeking treatment at hospitals.”

Hatim also highlighted the importance of international cooperation, stating that “the strategy is bearing fruit through strengthened international partnerships and the planned establishment of a regional operations center in Baghdad, as agreed at the Second International Conference on Combating Narcotics, held in Baghdad with the participation of interior ministers from neighboring countries.”

According to Article 27 of the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law, “anyone who commits offenses such as importing, transporting, or exporting narcotics or psychotropic substances, or their precursors for trade purposes outside the conditions permitted by law, or producing or manufacturing such substances for trade purposes outside the conditions permitted by law, shall be punished with the death penalty or life imprisonment.”