Between the years 2023 and 2024, the Iraqi Interior Ministry has reported that around 100 drug dealers have been sentenced to death for their illicit activities.

In an announcement to the Iraqi media, Miqdad Miri, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry, revealed that a substantial number of executions and life imprisonments have been meted out to both local and international drug traffickers during this time period.

Miri further disclosed that in just the previous week, law enforcement authorities seized 8 kilograms of drugs, 200,000 pills of psychoactive substances, and apprehended 123 suspects.

Recent anti-narcotics operations in the provinces of Wast, Musana, and Karbala resulted in the capture of several drug traffickers, who are set to face prosecution under Article 28 of the Iraqi Penal Code.

The Iraqi Penal Code, most recently amended in 2017, specifically addresses offenses related to drug trafficking and drug use through Articles 28 and 50.

According to Article 28, individuals engaged in the purchase, sale, or possession of illicit substances may be subjected to penalties including life imprisonment, capital punishment, temporary detention, or a fine of 10 million Iraqi dinars.

Under Article 50 of the legislation, drug users can be sentenced to imprisonment for a prescribed term ranging from one to five years.