Attempt to smuggle 500,000 narcotic pills foiled at airport

AMMAN — Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) agents have seized 500,000 narcotic pills and arrested three suspects in an attempted smuggling operation at Queen Alia International Airport, the Public Security Department’s (PSD) media centre announced Monday.

The suspects were reportedly attempting to smuggle the narcotics to another country, the PSD said, adding that two suspects hid 300,000 pills in children bags while the remaining 200,000 pills were found with the third suspect.

During questioning, the first two suspects confessed to buying the 300,000 pills from the third suspect, whom AND agents then caught through entrapment.

The case was referred to court.

So far this year, AND agents have foiled several attempts to smuggle drugs hidden inside items that would not look suspicious to authorities.

Earlier this month, AND foiled an attempt to smuggle 200,000 narcotic pills found hidden inside a car tyre.

Last month, AND personnel thwarted an attempt to smuggle drugs that were hidden in a package of sweets planned to be shipped out of the Kingdom. They tracked the package that was supposed to contain toffees but a thorough inspection revealed 30,000 narcotic pills hidden inside.

In May, AND officers aborted two attempts to smuggle half-a-million Captagon pills that were hidden in large marble blocks and children’s beds.

In April, AND agents arrested a suspect in the northern region of the Kingdom for allegedly hiding 37,000 Captagon pills inside olives that he intended to smuggle to a neighbouring country.

The suspect reportedly extracted the seeds of thousands of olives and replaced them with Captagon pills wrapped in small plastic bags, AND said.

Smugglers target rich countries because one Captagon pill there is worth around JD7, while its market value in Jordan does not exceed JD1 per pill, officials have previously told The Jordan Times.