Jordanian Customs Department seizes 6 million amphetamine pills from Iraq border

Jordan officials have found six million pills of Captagon, also known as the cocaine of the poor, inside two refrigerator lorries at the Iraq border. It was the most extensive drug haul the Jordanian Customs Department has ever intercepted.

Jordan officials seized the most recent batch of the amphetamine pills at the Al-Karamah border crossing between Iraq and Jordan, BBC reported.

Syria produces Captagon, the amphetamine pill, in large quantities. Currently, the decade-long war has turned into a narcotic state. When the conflict was at its peak, militant groups supplied the drug to fighters to boost their courage because it had large quantities of caffeine.

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The trade is now far more worth than legal exports, due to which many poor Syrians work in the manufacture of such drugs. Although the Syrian government has denied such allegations, some reports link famous names in trade and the army to the manufacturing and allocation of Captagon.

Drug dealers of Captagon smuggle the pills into neighbouring countries like Jordan and Lebanon. However, most sales are in the Gulf states due to the presence of a big market.

However, little or no information is available about the number of arrests made after the haul or the number of pills meant for sale.

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On December 15, the state security court of Jordan convicted a Syrian national to 20 years in prison for attempting to smuggle 2 million Captagon pills into the nation from Syria.

According to a report by the Cyprus-based think tank, Captagon has a market value of about $3.5 billion in the previous year.

Due to the increase in raids, the altercations between the Jordanian military and drug traffickers are also growing. Due to the current scenarios, soldiers have opted for a shoot-to-kill policy. In January, the Jordanian army shot 27 traffickers attempting to cross the border illegally.

Jordan authorities have tensed up things at the border and elevated their efforts to fight the problem of drug trafficking in recent years.

(With inputs from agencies)

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