Army foils 'major' drug smuggling attempt from Syria

AMMAN — The Eastern Military Zone troops, in coordination with the security agencies and the Anti-Narcotics Department, foiled a major drug smuggling attempt from Syria early Wednesday, according to an army statement.

A source at the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) said that the operation resulted in the death of one smuggler, the injury of others and their retreat to Syrian territory. 

The statement read that the seized drugs were handed over to the relevant authorities for further action.

The JAF will "firmly deal" with any infiltration or smuggling attempt to protect the Kingdom's borders and its national security against al threats, the source stressed. 

JAF reported some incidents of smugglers opening fire at border guards in an attempt to enter the Kingdom "by force”.

 The largest operation was in January 2022 when the army announced that it had killed 27 infiltrators as they tried to smuggle “large amounts” of narcotics from Syria into the Kingdom.

 According to JAF figures, a total of 194 smuggling and infiltration attempts have been recorded during the January-August period of 2023.

The army said that border guards on the northeastern border with Syria have also dealt with 88 smuggling attempts using drones that carried narcotics and explosives.

 In 2022, the army said that it dealt with 383 smuggling and infiltration attempts that also resulted in the seizure of large quantities of narcotics and weapons.

JAF said that 361 smuggling attempts from Syria were foiled and about 15.5 million narcotic pills were seized in 2021.

 In the previous year, more than 130 smuggling attempts from Syria in 2020 were foiled and about 132 million amphetamine pills and 15,000 sheets of hashish seized, it said.

 During a landmark meeting in Amman on May 1, 2023, Syria agreed to take effective measures towards curbing drug trafficking across its southern borders with Jordan. 

Jordan, which shares a 378 kilometre-long border with Syria, has been warning of flourishing drugs trade in the northern neighbour, posing cross-border threats to the kingdom, the region, and the rest of the world.

 According to international reports, Syria had become a narco-state and a main site for a multi-billion-dollar drug trade.