Jordan says drug smuggling increased after talks with Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday that smuggling operations through the Syrian-Jordanian border had increased following dialogue with the Syrian government.
Ayman Safadi said in a seminar of the Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG) that one out of three drug smuggling operations is successful. He went on that drug smuggling operations are considered acts of organized crime where they use very advanced technology, such as drones.
He added Jordan is working on protecting its interests stressing that smuggling narcotics is not a threat only to Jordan but also to the Gulf countries. He also called to enhance cooperation to address the threat.
Smuggling operations increased on the ground after talks with the Syrian government. They do not have full control over the situation, Safadi noted.
“We had a clear dialogue [with Syrian President]. We were able to start working groups that included law enforcement and intelligence agencies in both countries. We spoke and set targets and coordinates to deal with the threat. The Syrian side promised to deal with it. But the situation on the ground faced many challenges. We have seen an increase in smuggling and therefore we are doing what needs to be done,” he said.
Jordan regularly reports seizing amounts of captagon and various types of drugs. The Jordanian army occasionally declares thwarting attempts to smuggle drugs from Syrian territory.