ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Najaf court on Monday sentenced a drug trafficker to life in prison, as Iraqi authorities continue to intensify their efforts towards controlling the spread of narcotics. “The convict was found in possession of the narcotic substance methamphetamine for the purpose of trading and selling it among drug users, as well as drug paraphernalia and an electronic scale,” read a statement from the Iraqi supreme judicial council. The sentence was issued in accordance with Article 28 of the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law, which states that anyone convicted of purchasing, dealing, or possessing narcotic substances, or encouraging and promoting the use of such substances, will face up to life in prison and a fine of between 10 million and 30 million dinars. The ruling comes a day after a Baghdad court sentenced seven drug traffickers to death, including a convict of foreign nationality. There has been an alarming rise in drug dealing and use in Iraq in recent years, despite strict measures taken by the government to curb the phenomenon. Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has ordered the establishment of rehabilitation centers in all Iraqi provinces, excluding the Kurdistan Region, as part of his cabinet’s commitment to combat drugs with the same determination as it fights terrorism. In 2023, more than 19,000 people were arrested across Iraq on drug-related charges and over 15 tons of psychotropic substances were seized.
