Anbar court sentences five drug traffickers to life in prison

ANBAR — The Anbar Criminal Court on Wednesday sentenced five drug traffickers to life imprisonment for trafficking narcotic substances.

According to a statement from the Supreme Judicial Council’s media office, authorities seized 194,000 narcotic pills containing in the possession of the convicted individuals. The statement said the substances were intended for trafficking and sale among users.

Iraq has faced growing challenges from narcotics trafficking in recent years, evolving from a transit corridor into both a consumer market and a redistribution hub.

Basra security forces arrested two suspects found in possession of 10 kilograms of the crystal meth, a security source said Monday.

Courts have handed down some of the country’s toughest penalties in high-level trafficking cases. Between January and August 2024, judges issued 140 death sentences and 500 life sentences in narcotics cases.

In the first quarter of 2025, authorities reported 3,006 arrests related to drug offenses, while nationwide seizures reached 250 kilograms of narcotics in September alone.

In late January, Iraq’s Central Criminal Court in Baghdad issued death sentences against eight convicted defendants after finding them guilty of drug trafficking, the Supreme Judicial Council said.