Jordan arrests 'one of its most dangerous criminals'

Kingdom is toughening its response to drug threat from Syria

Weapons and ammunition seized in central Jordan on Tuesday during an arrest of a man wanted in connection with a murder and drug cases. Petra News Agency

Jordanian police have arrested a man wanted in connection with a murder and 21 drug cases, police said.

The man was "one of the most dangerous" fugitives in the kingdom.

He was arrested on Tuesday in the governorate of Balkaa in central Jordan after a special police team raided a farm where he was sheltering and found weapons and ammunition on the site.

Jordanian authorities have promised to take a tougher stance to combat the drug threat from Syria.

In a separate incident, state television said border forces on Sunday foiled an attempt to smuggle "huge quantities of drugs and weapons" from Syria. It said the smugglers retreated into Syria after a gunfight with Jordanian forces.

On Monday, a major drug dealer wanted by Jordan was reportedly killed in an air strike in southern Syria.

He was reportedly killed days after Foreign Minister Ayman Al Safadi said that if Jordan did not see Damascus taking “effective measures” to stop illicit drug exports, the kingdom “will do what it takes to counter that threat".

Jordan has accused the Syrian military and allied militias supported by Iran, which operate in southern Syria, of involvement in the smuggling of drugs into the kingdom, mainly the amphetamine known as Captagon.

The kingdom supported the return of Damascus to the Arab League on Sunday, partly in the hope of action by the regime to curb the cross-border drug trafficking, Jordanian officials said.

With Russian encouragement, Jordan began an accommodation with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad two years ago, lifting some restrictions on trade with Syria.

Drug smuggling from Syria to Jordan surged after Damascus regained control over most of the border area with Jordan in 2018.

The Syrian military entered the area under a deal between Russia, Israel and the US as Washington and others abandoned or reduced support for rebels fighting Bashar Al Assad's regime.

Southern Syria was the birthplace of the March 2011 revolt against Assad family rule, which developed into a civil war by the end of the year, after security forces suppressed the pro-democracy protest movement.