22 suspected drug smugglers arrested in northern Jordan in space of a week

Officers from Jordan’s Anti-Narcotics Department arrested 22 suspected drug traffickers in the space of a week during a number of operations in the country’s northern region, which borders Syria, the Jordan News Agency reported on Thursday.

They included an individual accused of being involved in an international drug-smuggling network, who was arrested in the city of Ramtha after 350 blocks of hashish were discovered at their residence.

Two other people were arrested following a raid at a property in the city, during which 110,000 narcotic pills were seized. It is believed that they were destined to be smuggled into a neighboring country.

In Mafraq Governorate, in the northern Badia region, two suspects were arrested after being found in possession of 6,000 pills. Nine others were apprehended after officers discovered 17 hashish blocks, 3,000 pills, and two guns.

A man described as “dangerous” and wanted in connection with 22 security offenses was arrested in western Irbid while in possession of narcotics and a handgun, officials said.

Four drug busts took place in the capital, Amman, during which 63 blocks of hashish, 21,000 illegal pills, and 150 grams of crystal meth were discovered.

And officers discovered 150,000 pills hidden in a cargo vehicle at the Omari Border Crossing between Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Captagon production in Syria has been a major concern for authorities in Jordan, along with those in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states where the drugs often end up. Hundreds of millions of pills have been manufactured there over the years and smuggled out of the country, where recreational use of the drug is common, most notoriously by Daesh militants.