Iraqi court jails 11 defendants in Najaf drug trafficking case

NAJAF, Iraq — A Najaf misdemeanor court has sentenced 11 defendants to prison terms of between six and 10 years for drug trafficking, a local police source said. The same ruling imposed fines totaling approximately 100 million Iraqi dinars on the defendants. The court issued the verdict under Article 28 of Iraq's Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law No. 50 of 2017, according to the security source at the Najaf Police Directorate. The source said the sentences were based on evidence in the case file and findings reached during the trial. The proceedings in Najaf were concluded in accordance with the relevant provisions of the 2017 law. No further details on the defendants or the substances involved were immediately available.