ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – An Iraqi court on Monday sentenced two convicted drug traffickers to death, after they were caught in possession of 102 kilograms of Captagon and an additional 96 kilograms of hashish.

"The Karkh Criminal Court issued a death sentence for two convicts for the crime of drug trafficking," the judiciary said in a statement 

"The two convicts were caught with 102 kilograms of Captagon narcotic substance, in addition to 96 kilograms of hashish narcotic substance, with the intent to trade and sell them among users," it added. 

The sentences come as Baghdad continues to clamp down on the increasing drug trade in the country. 

Iraq, with its extensive borders with Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, has evolved from a transit route to a significant consumption market. Authorities in both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, however, have redoubled their efforts to root out the problem, with initiatives aiming to provide users with necessary assistance, as well as frequent operations to apprehend traffickers.

Iraqi authorities arrested around 14,500 suspects on drug-related charges in 2024 and issued death sentences for 144 suspected drug traffickers. At least 454 others were sentenced to life (20 years in Iraqi law), according to official data.

In the first three months of 2025 alone, authorities across Iraq detained at least 1,365 suspected drug traffickers of Iraqi nationality and 194 foreign nationals, according to data published by the General Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances in late March.