The Central Criminal Court in Rusafa

IRAQ: BAGHDAD COURT MANDATES DEATH FOR FIVE DRUG TRAFFICKERS

April 15, 2026:

An Iraqi court has sentenced five drug traffickers to death after convicting them of possessing large quantities of narcotics, the Supreme Judicial Council revealed on April 15, 2026.
According to the council, the Central Criminal Court in Baghdad determined that the men were arrested with 2.8 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1,100 tramadol pills, other narcotic substances, and cash.
Earlier this year, Iraqi security forces detained 12 suspected drug dealers in Baghdad and Maysan, seizing narcotics that included one kilogram of crystal meth. The Interior Ministry reported that authorities dismantled 1,200 local and international drug trafficking networks and confiscated more than 14 tons of drugs between 2023 and 2025.
For decades, Iraq was widely regarded as a transit route for drugs smuggled from Afghanistan and Iran toward Europe and the Gulf countries. Since the 2003 overthrow of the former Iraqi regime by the US-led coalition, however, the country has increasingly become a significant consumer of various narcotics, amid prolonged security, political, and economic instability.