Iraq jails two drug traffickers for life

Shafaq News/ The Central Criminal Court sentenced, on Monday, two drug traffickers to life in prison after convicting them of dealing narcotics.

"The defendants were caught in possession of 1,460 narcotic pills with the intent to distribute them among users," the official court statement said.

This ruling was issued under Article 28(1) of Iraq’s 2017 Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law, "in accordance with Articles 47, 48, and 49 of the Penal Code," it added.

Iraq has increased its efforts against drug trafficking and abuse. From 2019 to 2023, drug seizures, particularly of captagon, surged by nearly 3,380%. In 2023, authorities seized over 4.1 tons of captagon tablets.

The rise in drug trafficking has also led to a higher domestic drug use rate, with over 3,300 individuals receiving treatment in 2022. To combat this, Iraq launched its first National Strategy on Narcotics (2023–2025) and hosted the "International Baghdad Conference on Drug Control" in May 2023 to strengthen regional cooperation.