Jordan foils attempt to smuggle loads of drugs from Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Jordanian forces thwarted an attempt to smuggle narcotics from Syria, killing two drug smugglers, a source said on Saturday.
A senior military source at the General Command of the Jordan Armed Forces told Jordan Times that “The Eastern Military Zone personnel in cooperation with military security agencies and the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND), foiled an attempt to smuggle large quantities of narcotics from Syria on Thursday evening.”
Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, Jordan has experienced numerous attempts at infiltration and smuggling of drugs, mainly originating from Syria and Iraq as a result of security challenges in both countries.
The source pointed out two drug smuggling suspects were killed and others were injured and retreated back to Jordan. Several weapons were confiscated and handed over to the relevant authorities, the source added.
Meanwhile, the Jordanian Interior Minister, Mazen Faraya, said on Saturday, “The nature and volume of smuggling indicate that the matter is more than purely financial for smugglers, especially on the northern border because there are areas outside the control of the Syrian state, which created a fertile environment for some groups and organizations that are trying to finance themselves at any cost.”
He added that Jordan is a safe and stable country amid an inflamed region, “and security has a relative indicator that depends on the size of the threats and challenges that surround us.”
In 2023, the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) announced that they had confiscated various amounts of drugs, including 6,200 kilograms of hashish, 6.5 kilograms of heroin, approximately 19 million captagon pills, 141.5 kilograms of cocaine, 15 kilograms of Joker powder, and about 70.5 kilograms of crystal meth.
Faraya said the smugglers who are caught are usually not fully aware of the details of the operation they are involved in. They are simply given a specific task to transport something from one location to another, adding that attempts to smuggle weapons into Jordan are often part of larger trafficking operations and other illegal activities.