Jordan asks Syria to control drug cross-border smuggling
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – A Jordanian source said, Friday, Jordan Demanded Syria that it fights smuggling, “if you [Syrian government]do not deal with the issue, we ourselves will protect our borders,” reported by Jordan-based public broadcaster al-Mamlaka.
Jordan touched on the smuggling challenges at Syrian southern border with the Syrian minister of defense, general Ali Abdullah Ayoub, during his visit to Amman a month ago.
Al-Mamlaka cited a source of “Jordan Ministry of Defense ” as saying that there is a temporary and intermittent control on smuggling after addressing these messages, but reports indicate, “Syria has become the main manufacturer of Captagon.”
The statements were released after Jordanian soldiers killed 27 armed drug smugglers as they tried to enter the country from Syria on Thursday, and “Large quantities of narcotics” were seized.
In September, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Jordanian Armed Forces, Major General Yousef Ahmed al-Hunaiti, received Syrian Minister of Defense Ali Ayoub, in the Jordanian capital, Amman.
The two parties discussed coordination to ensure the security of the common borders between the two countries, the situation in southern Syria, combating terrorism, and joint efforts to confront cross-border smuggling.
Jordan forces thwarted a smuggling operation of over 15 million of captagon pills in 2021 and 5,5 million in the first two weeks of 2022.