LONDON: Border Guards in Jordan thwarted an attempt to smuggle narcotics and prevented an infiltration by an individual in two separate incidents on Monday.
The Eastern Military Zone intercepted electronically guided balloons carrying drugs that were crossing into Jordanian territory. No arrests were made in relation to the incident, according to the Jordan News Agency.
However, authorities did arrest an individual who attempted to illegally enter the country by crossing the border from Syrian territory into Jordan.
Smugglers are increasingly employing drones and balloons — which are guided by basic devices — to transport narcotics into Jordan from neighboring countries. Authorities have highlighted their commitment to preventing smuggling and to protecting national security.
A court in Amman last week sentenced a citizen to death after he was convicted of killing three agents from the Anti-Narcotics Department during a raid in March.
Authorities arrested over 38,000 individuals in more than 25,000 cases related to drug use, smuggling, and trafficking in 2025. At least 49 percent of inmates in Jordanian detention centers have been convicted of drug-related offenses.
