Six sentenced to death in Iraq for international drug smuggling network

Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, the Supreme Judicial Council announced that the Central Criminal Court sentenced six individuals to death for forming an international drug smuggling network.

The Council's media center stated, "The convicts were found with 30 kilograms of crystal meth, intended for distribution in Iraq and transportation to the Gulf countries."

"The ruling was issued under Article 27/First of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law No. 50 of 2017 and Articles 47, 48, and 49 of the Penal Code," it added.

The Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced sentences for over 7,000 convicts in 2023 for drug trafficking, abuse, and promotion, including life imprisonment, the death penalty, and other penalties.

For decades, Iraq was a transit route for drugs from Afghanistan and Iran to Europe and the Gulf states. Since the 2003 overthrow of the former regime, however, Iraq has become a major consumer of various drugs, amid ongoing conflicts and unstable conditions.