9 million narcotic pills seized as anti-drug police foil ‘largest smuggling attempt of year’

AMMAN — Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) personnel have foiled an attempt to smuggle  9 million narcotic pills into Jordan, a country of around 9.5 million people, in the “biggest operation since the start of the year” in the Kingdom, and possibly in the entire region, the Public Security Department (PSD) said in a statement on Wednesday. 

The AND received a tip-off about a group of suspects in possession of a large amount of pills who intended to smuggle them into a neighbouring country, according to the statement. 

The AND immediately formed a task force to investigate and collect evidence, in order to find the suspects, the hiding place for the drugs, and the date and means planned to smuggle them, the statement continued. 

The investigation led the AND to discover that the smugglers intended to  hide the pills in secret compartments inside a vehicle, while also revealing the date set to move the drugs to a border crossing. 

AND patrols were spread through various checkpoints on the route expected to be taken by the suspects, where one patrol identified the vehicle transporting one of the suspects.

The suspect was arrested and the vehicle taken to the AND headquarters to be searched, the PSD said, adding that the 9 million pills were found in the secret compartments. 

An investigation was initiated with the arrested suspect and work is in progress to find the accomplices involved in the smuggling attempt, the statement concluded.