Aerial view of Basra
Basra court sentences drug trafficker to death
BASRA — The Basra Criminal Court sentenced a drug trafficker to death Sunday after authorities arrested him in possession of 5 kilograms of methamphetamine intended for sale, the Supreme Judicial Council said.
The sentence is one of 26 death sentences issued against drug traffickers in the first quarter of 2026, according to the Interior Ministry. Between January and August 2024, Iraqi courts issued 140 death sentences and 500 life sentences in trafficking cases as part of an intensifying crackdown on a trade that has transformed Iraq from a transit corridor into both a consumer market and redistribution hub.