Iraqi authorities have disbanded 25 international drug-trafficking networks since the beginning of the year, according to an official from the interior ministry.

“In cooperation with neighboring countries, 25 international drug-trafficking networks have been dismantled in 2024,” Ziyad Khalaf, an official of the ministry’s drug affairs directorate, told Iraqi state media. Khalaf added that extraditions and exchanges of information have taken place between the countries.

Iraqi courts have issued 74 death sentences for suspected drug dealers since the start of the year, marking a significant increase in judicial actions. “The number of sentences issued during the current year is very high due to the arrest operations… The last three years only witnessed 54 sentences issued,” Khalaf noted.

Despite strict measures taken by the government, Iraq has seen an alarming rise in drug dealing and use in recent years. Miqdad Miri, spokesperson for the interior ministry, announced earlier this month that nearly two tons of narcotic substances have been seized across the country since January.

As part of his cabinet’s commitment to combat drugs with the same determination as it fights terrorism, Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has ordered the establishment of rehabilitation centers in all Iraqi provinces, excluding the Kurdistan Region.

In 2023, more than 19,000 people were arrested across Iraq on drug-related charges, and over 15 tons of psychotropic substances were seized. Furthermore, in a quadrilateral meeting in Amman in mid-February, the interior ministers of Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon agreed to establish a joint communications cell to continue cooperation in addressing the alarming rise of narcotics in their countries.