Najaf court hands life sentences to three meth traffickers

NAJAF — A criminal court in Najaf on Monday sentenced three people to life in prison for trafficking methamphetamine, the Supreme Judicial Council said.

In a statement, the council said the Najaf Criminal Court issued the sentences after authorities found “2 kilograms of methamphetamine in the possession of the convicts with the intent to trade and sell it among users.” The ruling was issued under Article 27/1 of Iraq’s Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law No. 50 of 2017.

The case comes as Iraq intensifies its campaign against narcotics and trafficking networks.

On Nov. 25, Interior Ministry spokesperson Col. Abbas Al-Bahadli said security forces dismantled 1,201 drug-trading and distribution networks over the past three years, including 1,030 local and 171 international networks. He said authorities seized 14 tons, 20 kilograms and 17 grams of narcotics, and courts issued rulings against 23,118 defendants, including 300 death sentences and 1,147 life sentences for trafficking offenses.

Al-Bahadli said forces were involved in 274 armed clashes with traffickers, resulting in the deaths of seven officers from the Drug Control Directorate and injuries to 90 others. Traffickers recorded 36 deaths and 81 injuries, he added, noting that authorities also confiscated 3,307 weapons, hand grenades and 4,462 vehicles tied to trafficking operations.