FILE PHOTO: Employee of the medico-forensic department of a hospital in Najaf destroys seized narcotics in an incinerator on March 1, 2023 (Photo by Qassem al-KAABI / AFP)
Karbala court sentences drug trafficker to life over 2.5 kg amphetamine seizure
KARBALA — The Karbala Criminal Court on Sunday sentenced a drug trafficker to life in prison after authorities seized more than 2.5 kilograms of amphetamine in his possession.
The Supreme Judicial Council said the defendant intended to trade and sell the narcotics among users.
Iraq has faced growing challenges from narcotics trafficking, evolving from a transit corridor into both a consumer market and a redistribution hub.
Courts have handed down some of the country’s toughest penalties in trafficking cases. Between January and August 2024, judges issued 140 death sentences and 500 life sentences in narcotics cases.
The Interior Ministry said anti-narcotics authorities have seized more than half a ton of drugs and arrested over 1,600 suspects since the beginning of the year.