Jordan and Syria said Sunday that joint operations along their shared frontier stopped seven drug smuggling attempts, seizing nearly 1 million pills bound for illegal markets in the region. The Anti-Narcotics Department in Amman and its Syrian counterpart said patrols arrested several suspects and broke up networks they described as organized and regional in scope. The haul was logged after coordinated surveillance and intelligence sharing, with both sides pledging continued action to protect their borders and public safety.
The announcement follows a January decision by the two governments to form a joint security committee to tighten border control and target arms and narcotics pipelines. Officials say traffickers have adapted with shifting routes, camouflaged cargo, and night crossings, forcing security units to adjust patrol patterns and work more closely with partners.
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The seizures fit a broader pattern that has drawn international attention. The Syrian conflict turned swaths of the country into corridors for synthetic drugs—especially Captagon—moving south through Jordan toward Gulf markets. Jordanian forces have repeatedly reported major interdictions and occasional armed clashes with smugglers along desert approaches to the frontier. Regional governments, the United Nations, and law-enforcement bodies have urged stronger cross-border coordination, arguing that interdictions on one side of the line often push traffickers toward new gaps elsewhere.
Authorities in Amman and Damascus said the investigation is ongoing and did not release the identities of those detained. They framed the latest busts as proof that information-led policing can disrupt high-volume shipments even as smuggling groups test new tactics. Both agencies called for deeper regional and international cooperation to keep pressure on suppliers, financiers, and facilitators who profit from the trade.