Court gives suspended sentence for importing nearly two kilos of kratom

A man has been sentenced to three months in prison, suspended, for importing nearly two kilos of kratom, mbl.is reported. The West Iceland District Court rejected his argument that he did not know the substance was illegal in Iceland.

He must also pay 490,065 Icelandic krónur in legal costs. The kratom was confiscated.

The West Iceland Police Commissioner charged the man on April 25 with violating narcotics laws by importing 1,975.58 grams of kratom in a parcel. Customs stopped the shipment and seized it at a warehouse in Hafnarfjörður on March 18, 2025. Tests found a mitragynine concentration of 1.5 per cent.

The man admitted he had both sent and received the parcel. He told the court that he had used kratom in the Czech Republic, where he said it was legal and sold in regular shops. He used it to boost his energy and concentration, including during night shifts and exercise, mixing it into water or other drinks instead of coffee.

He said the shipping company contacted him to ask what the parcel contained. After he identified it as kratom, he was told it was illegal in Iceland and would be returned to the Czech Republic. He said he was surprised when police later summoned him for questioning.

A specialist from the University of Iceland’s laboratory of pharmacology and toxicology told the court that kratom affects the mind. In small doses it is stimulating, while larger doses have a sedative effect. Its effects differ substantially from caffeine and are more similar to those of opioids, the specialist said.

The court said ignorance of the law generally does not remove criminal liability, although it can affect sentencing. Clear rules had prohibited importing kratom for some time, and previous cases had resulted in penalties for such imports. The court said there was no evidence that kratom was legal in the Czech Republic when the offence took place, and that even if it had been legal there, importing it into Iceland was still prohibited and punishable.

In setting the sentence, the court considered that the man had no previous convictions and had admitted what he did, despite believing it was not a criminal offence. It also took into account the amount and strength of the substance and previous court rulings.