Drug smuggling from Syria continues as Jordan warns
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said on Monday that drug smuggling from Syria continues and poses threats to the country as it aggravates largely.
Syrian-Jordanian border is active with drug smuggling through Daraa and Suwayda governorates into the Hashemite Kingdom via smugglers related to Lebanese Hezbollah, according to local sources.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said drug smuggling was on the rise in the last months to which Jordanian forces changed its approach.
Safadi added that there are continued attempts to smuggle drugs into Jordan. However, Jordan “actively” stands up to that.
He pointed out that some operations are carried out by gangs and others by more capable organizations.
On August 27, Jordan’s army announced it aborted a mass smuggling operation of drugs coming from Syria following clashes with smugglers.
According to an official military source of Jordan’s Army, 578 of small poly bags of cannabis, 6.447.000 Captagon pills, 1.876 lyrica pills in addition to equipment and machines used in smuggling were captured.
Safadi indicated that southern Syria, adjacent to Jordan, undergoes a systematic work by professional groups that possess equipment and high capabilities for smuggling via and to Jordan and to other Arab countries.
In May, head of Jordan’s Military Media Directorate, Mustafa al-Hayari, said his country faces a drug war with “terrorist organizations” some of which are Iranian on the border with Syria.
That followed an announcement by the army of the killing of four smugglers and the escape of others into Syrian territories and aborting a number of operations coming from Syria, according to state-run media.
In August, Jordan’s security authorities asked Damascus officially to close down and pursue at least two workshops of drug (they had knowledge of) manufacturing operating on the Syrian soil, according to media outlets.