PSD says 33 people arrested, ‘large’ quantities of Captagon seized during raid on drug traffickers in Ruwaished

AMMAN — The Public Security Department (PSD) said that 33 persons were arrested during the raid it carried out on Wednesday on the hideouts of drug traffickers in the eastern district of Ruwaished in Mafraq Governorate.

In a statement late on Wednesday, PSD said that four of the arrested people have links with regional criminal networks of drugs and weapons trafficking operating on the borders.

It also said that the security operation in Ruwaished (on the north-eastern borders with Syria and Iraq) also resulted in the seizure of large quantities of Captagon, 30 firearms and ammunition, a drug-carrying drone, and vehicles used for smuggling and transporting illicit drugs.  

The PSD spokesperson underlined the department’s continued efforts, in coordination with the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) – Arab Army, in cracking down on drug traffickers and eliminating their threat to the national security.

Earlier on Wednesday, PSD said that operation aimed to root out those involved in illegal activities related to drug trafficking in the Kingdom, as well as individuals who have links with regional criminal networks that operate across borders to smuggle drugs and firearms, posing a direct threat to national security.

JAF has recently announced that the Eastern Military Zone had thwarted an attempt to smuggle "large" quantities of narcotics from Syrian into Jordan.

The items that were seized and handed to relevant authorities included 200,000 Captagon pills and 209 kilogrammes of hashish.

PSD has also recently said that security forces raided drug smugglers of Arab nationality in Ruwaished over the weekend.

Three individuals were arrested, one of whom was injured and killed during the confrontation, PSD said.

The army has reported several drug smuggling attempts to the Kingdom's northeastern borders with conflict-torn Syria.