JORDANIAN ARMED FORCES ARRESTS DRUG SMUGGLERS ON BORDERS WITH SYRIA

Sat 06 January 2024:

In an armed confrontation near the borders with Syria on Saturday, the Jordanian Armed Forces reported that it had detained a number of narcotics smugglers.

The clash with the Jordanian border guards resulted in multiple traffickers being injured and taken into custody. These Syrian traffickers were trying to enter Jordan with big amounts of guns and drugs, according to the state-run Petra news agency.

For years, Jordan has been a main transit route of illegal drugs from Syria into the Gulf states.

In recent days, Jordan has ramped up its effort to combat illegal drug trafficking. On Friday, Jordan conducted two airstrikes targeting drug traffickers.

In December, Jordan killed and wounded several smugglers during clashes on its northern borders, and seized 4.9 million Captagon pills and 12,858 kilograms of hashish.

Smugglers often sneak the drugs into Jordan in transit to wealthy Gulf states, which fuel most of the business, according to Western narcotics control officials.

Jordanian officials claims that Lebanon’s Hezbollah group and other Iran-allied militias are behind the smuggling networks, accusations Hezbollah denies.

Jordan has also raised concerns about the drug trade with Syrian authorities and their ally Russia.

But Syria’s government denies involvement and says it is doing its best to stop the drug trade.

To curb the trade, Jordan took matters into its own hands earlier this year, waging several strikes against Iran-linked drug factories in Syrian territory, local and Western intelligence sources said, according to Reuters.

Officials expect the smuggling runs into Jordan to spike as winter sets in, as poorer visibility makes it easier for traffickers to move undetected.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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