Militants Supported by the Islamic Republic Accused of Expanding Drug Network in Syria

On Tuesday, October 4, the Jordanian army announced that it had shot down two drones carrying drugs from Syria. According to a statement from the Jordanian army, quantities of the drug "methamphetamine" were seized from these drones that had infiltrated the airspace of the country. Jordanian officials say the increasing use of drones carrying drugs, weapons, and new explosives has added to the multi-billion dollar cross-border war against drug trafficking. Jordan has blamed drug trafficking on militants supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, influential in southern Syria. According to this report, the militants supported by the Islamic Republic are protected by units within the Syrian army and security forces. The Islamic Republic of Iran has stated that these allegations are part of a Western conspiracy against its government. Arab governments and Western circles have accused Syria of producing the highly addictive and profitable drug "Captagon" and using Jordan as a transit route to send this and other drugs to Gulf countries. The Syrian government has denied any production of such substances. Meanwhile, Jordanian officials note that talks with senior Syrian officials to reduce smuggling activities under the control of the Islamic Republic have reached a deadlock due to the Syrian government's inability to establish order in the southern region of the country.