ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A court in Baghdad sentenced three alleged drug dealers to death after they were found in possession of 18 kilograms of narcotics, amid the country’s heightened anti-drug campaign.

The Karkh Criminal Court “issued a death sentence against three drug traffickers for the crime of trafficking in narcotics,” read a court statement, adding that the convicts “were caught in possession of 18 kilograms of the narcotic substance hashish with the intent to traffic and sell it among users.”

“The sentences were issued against them in accordance with the provisions of Article 27/First of the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law No. 50 of 2017,” the statement added.

The law, which addresses drug trafficking penalties, imposes either the death penalty or life imprisonment on individuals who import, transport, or cultivate narcotics or psychotropic substances.

Iraq has recently intensified cooperation with regional and international countries to counter drug trafficking networks outside its borders.

On Tuesday, Abbas al-Bahadli, Iraq’s interior ministry spokesperson, announced that “security forces have dismantled 1,201 drug trafficking and distribution networks over the past three years, including 171 international networks.”

In addition, a total of 2,318 judicial sentences have been issued on drug-related charges, including 300 death sentences and 1,147 life sentences (20 years in Iraqi law).

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 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.