38,000 narcotic pills found hidden in oven

AMMAN — Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) personnel have confiscated an oven, in which 38,000 narcotic pills were hidden, and investigation is still under way to arrest involved suspects, the Public Security Department (PSD) said Tuesday.

The AND agents received information that several suspects had prepared an amount of narcotics and hidden them in an oven they were going to send as a package through a shipping office to another country, according to a PSD statement. 

The personnel found the oven at the office with the drugs hidden inside.

In recent incidents, smugglers have resorted to using sheep, car tyres, biscuit packets, packages of sweets, olives, large marble blocks, door closers, book covers and children’s beds to hide illegal narcotics.

Several cases have also involved suspects smuggling drugs in their stomachs.

In previous remarks to The Jordan Times, an AND official said the Syrian conflict, the refugee crisis and turmoil in surrounding countries are to blame for the new illicit drug smuggling methods the Kingdom has been witnessing over the past four years.

In the first half of February this year, AND agents arrested 226 suspected drug dealers in 129 cases, confiscating 39kg of hashish, 21kg of synthetic cannabis (locally known as “joker”), 11,000 narcotic pills, 1kg of heroin and eight weapons, according to the PSD.

Last year, AND personnel arrested 14,000 drug users from different nationalities, AND Director Brig. Gen. Anwar Tarawneh said late last month.

Tarawneh noted that Jordan remains a corridor country — rather than a destination — for drug smuggling.