Jordan: Drug Smuggling Attempts via Syria Persist

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at a press conference after a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Amman, Jordan (Reuters)
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at a press conference after a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Amman, Jordan (Reuters)
TT

Jordan: Drug Smuggling Attempts via Syria Persist

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at a press conference after a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Amman, Jordan (Reuters)
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at a press conference after a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Amman, Jordan (Reuters)

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi announced that drug smuggling attempts continue across the Syrian border, according to the Arab World News Agency.

Speaking at the virtual ministerial meeting to Launch the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drugs in Washington, Safadi said that Jordan confiscated over 65 million Captagon pills during the past two years.

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted the virtual Ministerial-level meeting to provide the foundation to combine efforts and prevent the production and trafficking of illicit synthetic drugs, identify emerging drug trends and use patterns, and respond to their public health impacts.

Safadi said that forming the coalition is essential in addressing the escalating threat of industrial drugs.

He called for cooperation in providing border protection technology and exchanging intelligence information in confronting the drug threat, which requires a joint international effort.

Last month, the Jordanian Armed Forces announced that it had shot down a drone carrying narcotics from Syrian territory.

Combating drug smuggling and dumping in the Jordanian market topped Jordan's priorities in recent talks in Amman, with the participation of the foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq.

In a statement after the meeting, Syria agreed to help prevent drug trafficking, work to identify drug traffickers and cooperate with Jordan and Iraq to end trafficking.

Last May, according to press reports, Jordan launched an air strike targeting the most prominent strongholds of drug smuggling and manufacturing in southern Syria, killing a Syrian drug smuggler.



Thousands in London Rally for Fully Implementing Ceasefire Agreement in Gaza

Protesters holding placards and flags face a line of police at Trafalgar Square in central London at a National demonstration for Palestine, on January 18, 2025, organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP)
Protesters holding placards and flags face a line of police at Trafalgar Square in central London at a National demonstration for Palestine, on January 18, 2025, organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP)
TT

Thousands in London Rally for Fully Implementing Ceasefire Agreement in Gaza

Protesters holding placards and flags face a line of police at Trafalgar Square in central London at a National demonstration for Palestine, on January 18, 2025, organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP)
Protesters holding placards and flags face a line of police at Trafalgar Square in central London at a National demonstration for Palestine, on January 18, 2025, organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP)

Thousands of people turned out in the streets of London on Saturday for a mass pro-Palestinian rally to call for the full implementation of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement.

The Metropolitan Police force said about two dozen people were arrested after some protesters broke through a police line containing the rally and failed to disperse according to police instructions. One man was detained on suspicion of supporting banned organizations, while four others were detained over public order offenses.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which has organized many huge rallies in London since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023, said the movement will not stop despite the ceasefire agreement.

“We have ongoing demands. We need this ceasefire to be enforced. We need a withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Gaza. we need everyone held in illegal detention — including 10,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails, in prison camps in Gaza — to be released,” said the campaign’s director, Ben Jamal.

Protesters were also calling for the UK government to pressure Israel to end its oppression of Palestinians, he added.