Jordan Suspected in Airstrikes Targeting Syrian Drug Dealer

Airstrikes in southern Syria on Monday reportedly killed Merhi al-Ramthan, a prominent drug dealer, along with his family. The attack follows Jordan’s recent warning that it would use force inside Syria to combat drug trafficking. The strikes occurred as Arab governments reinstated Syria to the Arab League and discussed the nation’s flourishing illicit drug industry, particularly the amphetamine Captagon (fenethylline), which has allegedly generated billions of dollars for President Bashar Assad and his allies.

The first strike targeted a home in Shuab, in As-Suwayda Governorate, near the Jordanian border, killing al-Ramthan, his wife, and six children. Another strike hit a building in Daraa Governorate, which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed housed a drug factory. Activists and the war monitor suspect Jordan is behind the airstrikes, as al-Ramthan was one of the most wanted by Jordanian authorities for facilitating drug smuggling across the border. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi reiterated the country’s commitment to combating drug smuggling, saying Jordan would take necessary measures, including military action, to eliminate the threat.