Drone carrying drugs from Syria intercepted in north Jordan

Officials from the two countries discussed the drugs problem in Amman on Sunday

The drone and drugs it was reportedly carrying from Syria. Reuters

Jordanian border forces on Monday seized a drone carrying drugs as it flew in from Syria, a military official said.

The announcement came a day after a meeting between Syrian and Jordanian officials to discuss the cross-border narcotics smuggling.

The official said in a statement that border forces monitored the drone as it crossed into a north-eastern area of Jordan.

“It was intercepted inside Jordanian territory,” he said.

The drone was carrying 2kg of crystal methamphetamine, which was “turned over to the relevant authorities", he said.

The authorities announced several similar interceptions this year, as the military, with support from the US and other western countries, strengthened border defences to curb drug smuggling from Syria.

A boom in the drug trade has been a main by-product of the war economy in Syria.

It is centred in southern areas that fell to the Syrian military in 2018, after a deal between Russia – Damascus's most powerful supporter – the US and Israel to hand over the areas to President Bashar Al Assad's forces.

Jordan has accused the Syrian military and pro-Iran militias in southern Syria of overseeing the smuggling.

On Sunday, Syrian Defence Minister Ali Mahmoud was in Amman, where he discussed with Jordanian officials ways to curb smuggling.

The meeting was the first for a joint security committee that the two sides agreed to set up at the start of this month to deal with the issue, particularly the amphetamine known as Captagon.

On May 8, a Jordanian air strike killed a Syrian drug dealer in the area, three days before Damascus was readmitted to the Arab League.