Iraq court sentences three to death over 140 kg of narcotics in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Higher Judicial Council said the Central Criminal Court in Baghdad sentenced three people to death after they were caught with 140 kilograms of narcotics. The council said the defendants were convicted of drug trafficking under Article 27, Paragraph 1 of Law No. 50 of 2017 on narcotic and psychotropic substances. According to the statement, the substances seized from the defendants included methylamphetamine and a caffeine-based narcotic. The court also cited Articles 47, 48 and 49 of the country's Criminal Code in issuing the verdict. The Higher Judicial Council announced the ruling publicly on Monday. Iraqi courts have continued to issue verdicts in separate drug-trafficking cases as part of the country's broader anti-narcotics campaign. Iraq retains the death penalty for a range of offenses, including drug trafficking, and authorities have carried out executions in past drug-related cases. No further details on the identities of the defendants or the date of their arrest were immediately available.