Narcotics found hidden in book covers

AMMAN — Anti-Narcotic Department (AND) agents on Tuesday foiled an attempt to smuggle 40,000 Captagon pills that were hidden inside book covers, a senior official source said.

A Jordanian man was arrested, and police are searching for a second suspect in the case, the senior official source told The Jordan Times.

The department received a tip a few days ago that individuals were attempting to smuggle illegal narcotics into a neighbouring country via a shipping company, according to a statement by the Public Security Department (PSD).

The method of smuggling was not clear and a special team was formed to follow up on the case, the PSD statement added.

“Our team was able to identify a package that was delivered to a shipping agency to be sent to a neighbouring country,” the senior official said.

The owner of the shipment had a criminal record in drug smuggling so “our teams decided to inspect his shipment and found the illicit drugs”, the official added.

The source noted that the illegal narcotics were stashed in book covers.

A special team was dispatched to the suspect’s residence and he was arrested without any major incident, the PSD statement said.

The official source stressed that the second Jordanian suspect, who is still at large, “is known to us and it will be a matter of time before we arrest him”.

The detained suspect was referred to the State Security Court prosecutor for further questioning and indictment, the senior official source said.

Pills such as Captagon (fenethylline) are usually manufactured and transported from neighbouring countries in the north via Jordan to rich countries on the southern border.

Smugglers target rich countries because one Captagon pill there is worth around JD7, while its market value in Jordan does not exceed JD1 per pill, officials have previously told The Jordan Times.

In previous remarks to The Jordan Times, an AND official said the Syrian conflict, the refugee crisis and turmoil in surrounding countries are to blame for the new illicit drug smuggling methods the Kingdom has been witnessing over the past four years.

In recent incidents, smugglers have resorted to using sheep, car tyres, biscuit packets, packages of sweets, olives, large marble blocks and children’s beds to hide illegal narcotics.

Several cases have also involved suspects smuggling drugs in their stomachs.

The AND official said the department is constantly following up on the latest methods of smuggling and taking “all leads and tips very seriously”.

On Monday, Ramtha police referred a motorist to court after finding amounts of synthetic cannabis (locally known as “joker”) in his car, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Tuesday.