Over 24 kilograms of cocaine
Basra criminal court sentences three to death for drug trafficking
BASRA — The Basra Criminal Court has sentenced three individuals to death for drug trafficking after they were found in possession of 24.7 kilograms of cocaine.
According to a statement from the judiciary’s media office, the convicts were apprehended with the cocaine, which “they intended to sell to drug users.”
The death sentences were issued under 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.