Prison guard sentenced to 10 years for smuggling drugs into Abu Ghraib

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Central Criminal Court sentenced a prison guard to 10 years in prison Sunday for smuggling narcotics into Abu Ghraib prison in exchange for money, the Supreme Judicial Council said.

The court found the guard had “exploited his position as a correctional guard to pass narcotic materials to prisoners,” the council said.

The case reflects broader enforcement efforts against drug trafficking in Iraq, which has shifted from a transit corridor to a consumer market and redistribution hub. In the first three months of 2026, authorities seized more than 900 kilograms of narcotics and arrested 3,227 suspects, with 1,653 convictions including 26 death sentences and 99 life imprisonment terms.