Iraq seizes over a ton of drugs, sentences six to death in major crackdown
Shafaq News/ Iraq’s Central Investigation Court in Baghdad's Al-Rusafa announced the seizure of over a ton of narcotics from the start of this year through mid-October.
In a report published by Al-Qadaa, the Supreme Judicial Council’s monthly publication, Judge Walid Ibrahim, responsible for drug-related investigations in the Al-Rusafa court, stated, “The Central Investigation Court confiscated hundreds of kilograms of narcotics between February 1 and October 17 of 2024.”
The crackdown led to 75 death sentences, including six for foreign nationals, and 20 life imprisonment verdicts issued by the Criminal Court.
Judge Ibrahim detailed the operation’s achievements: “Through outstanding efforts in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, we seized one ton of drugs, including 229.12 kilograms of crystal meth, 843.26 kilograms of Captagon pills, over 51 kilograms of hashish, and 100 grams of psychotropic substances.”
One operation resulted in the arrest of six individuals after a sting operation lured a drug smuggler into transporting 30 kilograms of crystal meth from Sulaymaniyah to Basra. “The six suspects were referred to the Central Criminal Court and sentenced to death,” Ibrahim said.
In another case, authorities apprehended a 2002-born trafficker after he received 57.23 kilograms of Captagon pills from foreign dealers. He was caught in a well-coordinated ambush and later sentenced to death.
Further investigations uncovered a clandestine drug manufacturing facility in Al-Sulaymaniyah, south of Lake Darbandikhan. “The site, disguised as a tire factory, was producing Captagon pills and crystal meth,” Ibrahim explained. A tank with 4,000 liters of amphetamine, a key ingredient in Captagon production, was discovered, and intelligence indicated that 100 kilograms of the drugs had already been smuggled to Gulf states before the factory was raided.
Iraq’s Escalating Drug Crisis and Regional Role
Iraq’s struggle with drug trafficking and abuse has reached alarming levels in recent years. The country’s strategic location—spanning 3,637 kilometers of land borders with Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Turkiye—has turned it into a major transit hub for narcotics flowing between Southwest Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and Europe.
In 2024, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported a surge in Iraq’s drug seizures, particularly Captagon, with volumes tripling between 2022 and 2023 and methamphetamine confiscations increasing sixfold since 2019.
In response, Iraq has stepped up its counter-drug efforts. Initiatives include the 2023–2025 Anti-Narcotic Strategy, the establishment of formal rehabilitation clinics, and intensified crackdowns on traffickers.
The government has also pushed for harsher punishments, with Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani urging expedited ratification of death sentences for convicted traffickers as a deterrent.
