Syria Thwarts Large-Scale Drug Smuggling Attempt to Jordan
Following the interception of a major drug smuggling attempt, Syrian officials accused remnants of the ousted Assad government of running organized crime rings
Syrian authorities on Wednesday successfully foiled an attempt to smuggle a significant quantity of illicit stimulant pills across the Syrian-Jordanian border, preventing the narcotics from entering Jordan. This interception highlights the new Syrian government’s determination to prevent local instability from being exploited at the hands of criminal networks.
The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced that its Anti-Narcotics Directorate seized 100,000 of the stimulant pills known as Captagon near the border. In a statement to The Media Line, the ministry’s media office confirmed that the confiscated shipment was intended for smuggling into Jordan, emphasizing that legal measures would be taken against those involved.
Speaking anonymously to The Media Line, a security source said that Syrian counternarcotics forces are determined not to let Syria become a threat to neighboring countries and the wider region. “We will continue to combat drug production, trafficking, and dismantle networks at their source,” the source said.
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The source went on to accuse remnants of the ousted Assad regime of being deeply involved in drug manufacturing and smuggling operations. He stressed that the current Syrian administration is resolute in its efforts to confront and dismantle these networks.
The illicit drug trade, particularly involving Captagon, flourished during the Syrian civil war. According to various intelligence reports, then-President Bashar Assad and his brother Maher Assad, who commanded Syria’s notorious 4th Armored Division, oversaw a vast, sophisticated drug production and smuggling network. That network reportedly funnelled narcotics across the region—with Jordan serving as a primary transit point to Gulf countries and beyond.
Since the escalation of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict last summer and the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, the drug trade in Syria has reportedly declined. Syrian authorities are working to dismantle the remaining drug production hubs and assert control over border regions plagued by smuggling activities.
In January 2025, Jordan and Syria established a joint security committee to enhance border security and curb the smuggling of weapons and narcotics. This initiative followed Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani’s visit to Jordan, during which both sides pledged to intensify cooperation to safeguard their borders.
Jordanian authorities report foiling numerous smuggling attempts, often carried out by infiltrators linked to Iranian-backed militias operating in southern Syria.
In May 2024, Jordanian forces uncovered an attempt to smuggle weapons and explosives from Syria into Jordan, allegedly intended to arm and recruit fighters for Hamas. That attempt was thought to be linked to Iran.
Iran has consistently denied any involvement in smuggling activities along the Syrian-Jordanian border, whether of arms or narcotics.
