By Al-Fassel | 2024-06-24

Jordan has had great success in recent weeks in breaking apart large-scale drug smuggling operations organized by Syria-based gangs with ties to Iran.

Illicit drugs such as Captagon produced in parts of Syria where Iran-backed militias hold sway are trafficked through Jordan -- and Iraq, via al-Qaim-Albu Kamal and Sikak crossings with Syria -- to the Gulf states and beyond, devastating societies, with proceeds filling the coffers of these militias.

Jordanian forces have tightened border controls in recent years to curb regional trafficking operations and regularly block smuggling and infiltration attempts, many of which are protected by armed groups.

Jordanian border guards clashed with smugglers from Sweida province, Syria, on June 19, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Two of the smugglers were injured, it said, adding that the Jordanian authorities continue to target illicit drug dealers and smuggling operations from Syria to Jordan through smugglers affiliated with Lebanese Hizbullah.

Militias controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including the Fatemiyoun Division and Zainabiyoun Brigade, have recently increased their presence in Sweida and the Yarmouk Basin in Daraa.

Interception at Jordan-Saudi border

Earlier in June, anti-narcotics officers intercepted "a major drug haul" at Jordan's al-Omari crossing with Saudi Arabia, the Jordanian news agency, Petra, reported.

Jordanian forces seized "approximately 9.5 million narcotic pills and 143 kg of hashish" from two gangs linked to regional drug trafficking networks, the kingdom's Public Security Department announced June 5.

The gang members were arrested following a two-month intensive intelligence operation to trace their criminal activities within the kingdom and their connections to regional drug trafficking networks, it said.

Jordanian security officials told Reuters the Syria-based gangs had ties to Iran.

"The gangs used similar methods, hiding drugs within heavy construction machinery, which suggested a connection to the same regional criminal network," Petra reported.

In one case, 3.1 million narcotic pills were hidden in secret compartments in an excavator-mounted hydraulic jackhammer, it said, and the driver was arrested.

A second investigative team tracked another gang of five individuals and found five million narcotic pills hidden in secret compartments of a roller vehicle, arresting three suspects, it added.

"Further investigation led to the hiding place of two additional accomplices with a large stash of narcotics prepared for another smuggling operation," Petra said.

"The accomplices were arrested, and the remaining drugs were found in a water well in Ramtha district," it added.

Jordanian forces on April 8 thwarted a drug smuggling operation on the border in the eastern region, coming from inside Syrian territory via smugglers linked to Lebanese Hizbullah, the Observatory said.

Two smugglers were killed and others were injured in a shootout, and large quantities of drugs were seized during the operation.