Drug threat

The degree of readiness and vigilance Jordanian Border Guards are required to demonstrate is very high these days.

While the regular flow of goods from Europe via Syria to Jordan has come to a halt, the attempts to smuggle contraband goods and enhance illegal human trafficking has been on the rise.

According to a source in the Jordanian army, attempts to cross into Jordan have been on the increase.

Official news sources have been quoting army spokespersons referring to daily encounters with traffickers.

The army routinely reports that individuals or vehicles try to cross our borders.

If they do not heed the warning shots, traffickers are hit by patrol units and either killed or captured.

The intensity of fighting inside Syria has been growing. Terrorist groups like Daesh are attempting to collect men, money and arms as much as they can.

It goes without saying that destabilising Jordan and opening a new war front would be to these groups’ advantage.

Other attempts to smuggle doping tablets (Ecstasy and Captagon), as well as harder drugs are also happening, if less frequently, across the border with Iraq. 

The target market is not only Jordan, but Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries as well.

Young, marginalised men and women who are poor or unemployed could easily become either pushers or users of drugs. Once addicted to drugs, they can be enlisted in terrorist groups.

Youth who have not been pushed into the arms of terrorists by religious zealotry or misinformation are thus exposed to the fantasy world of drugs, which could be even worse because it costs families a lot to finance drug usage or rehabilitation.

Thus besides standing up to terrorist threats, Jordan needs to address the very dangerous threat of drugs, not only to our youth, but also to entire families.

Drug trade is highly organised and has the network and the structure to become a formidable foe.

To deal with it, money, training, technology, intelligence and guidance are badly needed.

Concerted effort by public, private and civil society organisations is badly needy to counter this threat that could be lurking behind every door.

The commander of the northern front in Jordan believes that a depth of nine kilometres inside Syria along the Jordanian border should be kept safe. The Jordanian army believes that such a step would strengthen Jordan’s ability to cope with this rise in illegal trafficking.

Whether such readiness may require preemptive strikes against perpetrators is yet to be seen. But Jordan’s security and war against terrorism may require such action in the future.

The writer, a former Royal Court chief and deputy prime minister, is a member of Senate. He contributed this article to The Jordan Times.