Iraq Dismantles International Drug Network, Sentences Nine Traffickers to Death

Jan. 29,2025

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council announced that the Central Criminal Court has sentenced nine Iraqi drug traffickers to death after convicting them of smuggling and distributing illicit substances across the country.

The council confirmed in an official statement that the security forces seized 186 kilograms of various types of drugs in their possession, including Captagon, methamphetamine, and caffeine, which were intended for distribution.

Based on the available evidence, the court issued capital punishment under Article 27(1) of the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law, and all nine traffickers received death penalty.

In a related development, Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Intelligence Agency in the southern province of Basra, revealed that it had dismantled an international drug trafficking network in a highly coordinated security operation. The operation led to arresting several individuals involved in smuggling and distributing narcotics.

One key suspect, a foreign national, was arrested while trying to enter Iraq from a neighboring country with crystal meth hidden inside his body. After his arrest, the suspect confessed that he planned to sell the drugs in Iraq and security forces launched a broader investigation, tracking down and detaining two more individuals involved in purchasing and distributing the drugs, and they were referred to the competent authorities for prosecution.

Drug-related arrests in Iraq have been rising in recent years. In 2023, 14,000 people were arrested on drug charges, compared to 17,000 in 2022. This increase reflects the growing problem of narcotics trafficking and abuse in the country.

With drug networks exploiting Iraq’s porous borders and ongoing security challenges, authorities have intensified counter-narcotics operations to curb trafficking and dismantle organized criminal syndicates fueling the crisis.