Basra criminal court sentences two drug traffickers to death

BASRA -– The Basra Criminal Court issued two death sentences on Tuesday against two drug traffickers found in possession of 2 kilograms of methamphetamine intended for distribution and sale among users.

According to a statement from the judiciary’s media office, the two convicts were apprehended with 2 kilograms of methamphetamine with the intent to traffic and distribute the substance.

The court issued the sentences in accordance with Article 27/First of the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law No. 50 of 2017.

Iraq has seen an increase in drug-related crimes, leading authorities to implement stricter measures. By November 2024, nearly 8,000 individuals had been arrested on drug-related charges since the beginning of the year, with approximately 2.2 tons of narcotics confiscated. By August, the Ministry of Interior reported issuing 140 death sentences and 500 life sentences in connection with these crimes.

In 2023, authorities arrested over 19,000 people for drug offenses and seized more than 15 tons of psychotropic substances. The Ministry of Interior also reported that at least 17 drug suspects were killed during clashes with security forces that year.

Recently, Adnan Al-Juhaishi, head of Iraq’s Parliamentary Committee on Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, claimed Iraq had shifted from being merely a consumer of drugs to becoming a producer and transit country for crystal meth, with drugs reportedly entering the country through official border crossings, as documented by the United Nations. Al-Juhaishi also revealed that four crystal meth factories have been discovered across Iraq, pointing to an alarming increase in the country’s drug production capabilities.

The Second Baghdad International Conference on Combating Drugs was held in late-July, bringing together representatives from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt, aiming to regional cooperation in combating drug trafficking.