Jordan foils attempt to smuggle drugs from Syria

The Jordanian Armed Forces said in a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency (Petra) today that troops stationed in the Eastern Military Zone foiled an attempt early this morning to smuggle a large quantity of drugs into Jordan using guided balloons, after detecting them as they headed toward the kingdom.

The statement said that Border Guard Units intercepted and brought down the balloons inside Jordanian territory, seizing the drugs they were carrying, in coordination with security and military agencies and the Anti-Narcotics Department. It added that the seized materials had been referred to the relevant authorities for the necessary legal action.

The operation comes amid intensified Jordanian security measures along the border, alongside increased political and security coordination with Syria's transitional government to address shared challenges, particularly combating terrorism and the smuggling of weapons and drugs.

In this context, Damascus hosted the third session of the Jordanian-Syrian Higher Coordination Council on November 8 and 9, chaired by Foreign Ministers Ayman Safadi and Asaad al-Shaibani, with the participation of ministerial delegations and officials from both countries.

The meetings addressed defense and security issues, border security, and the development of border crossings. The two sides also discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in confronting shared threats.

Jordanian Foreign Ministry efforts

Earlier, on October 27, Jordan announced the formation of a joint security and technical committee with Syria to follow up on the repercussions of Jordanian airstrikes targeting sites that Amman said belonged to ISIS in southern Syria. The strikes came amid security threats linked to attacks witnessed in the kingdom, according to Jordanian statements.

At the time, Amman reaffirmed its continued security coordination with Damascus on counterterrorism and efforts to combat arms and drug smuggling, describing ISIS as a common threat to both countries.

On November 9, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi reaffirmed, during meetings in Damascus, the two countries' ongoing joint efforts to combat drug smuggling. Both sides also stressed the importance of strengthening security cooperation and following up on border-related issues.