The Syrian government continues to announce operations thwarting the smuggling of quantities of “narcotics” or “hashish,” the latest of which was the General Authority for Land and Sea Ports’ announcement on 1 August of a foiled attempt to smuggle a quantity of hashish through the al-Rai border crossing.
The authority stated that the Security and Safety Department at the al-Rai crossing foiled an attempt to smuggle a quantity of hashish hidden in a commercial truck driven by a smuggler.
Mazen Alloush, Director of Public Relations at the General Authority for Land and Sea Ports, told Enab Baladi that personnel from the Security and Safety Department and Customs Administration seized approximately three kilograms of hashish during a search of a Turkish driver returning to Turkey after offloading his cargo in Syria.
An Integrated Monitoring System
Regarding the mechanism through which the Authority combats drug smuggling at borders, Alloush explained that it operates through an integrated monitoring system, which includes cooperation between customs staff, security and safety units, and K9 units (police dogs).
Advanced detection equipment and scanners are also used.
The Authority has adopted a systematic action plan that includes regular staff training, updating inspection protocols, activating advanced checkpoints, and establishing a centralized database to analyze smuggling patterns and identify suspicious routes. This goes hand-in-hand with enhanced coordination with relevant security and customs bodies, according to Alloush.
Alloush noted that the Authority’s teams have successfully intercepted several drug shipments, including hashish and Captagon, at various crossings — most notably Nassib, al-Rai, and Jarablus.
All detected cases are referred to the competent authorities, Alloush added, with ongoing efforts to enhance technical and human capabilities to strengthen border security and protect society.
The Captagon File
The Captagon issue has played a significant role in straining political relations between Syria and Arab states, particularly the Gulf countries, during the era of the former Assad regime. Syria was regarded as the primary exporter of Captagon to these countries, often via neighboring states such as Jordan and Iraq.
Mahmoud Alloush, a researcher in international relations, told Enab Baladi in a previous interview that Syria’s Captagon file had a major political impact on Gulf countries in the last regime. Today, the Gulf states place great importance on the stability of the new leadership in Syria to address the issue of drug smuggling from Syria.
The researcher believes that the new Syrian leadership is placing significant importance on this file and is handling it with firmness due to the immense pressure it imposes on the Gulf states, especially Jordan. He added that the Gulf states increasingly recognize the need to stabilize Syria’s new government, as restoring stability could encourage Damascus to end this trade, which has greatly harmed Arab countries.
“Enormous” Challenges
The international community continues to monitor the new administration’s efforts in combating the production and trade of narcotics and eliminating them seriously and effectively.
Dr. Yasser Tabbara, a legal expert and founding board member of the Syrian Forum, previously told Enab Baladi that the challenges facing the new administration are enormous in terms of public health, criminal accountability, border control, and tracking the networks and local economies based on drug production and trade.
These types of networks are transnational, often linked to international terrorism, money laundering, and weapons smuggling. As such, the government is likely to focus on security-related and military-based approaches, as these are the most readily available tools, according to Dr. Tabbara.
Since the fall of Assad, there has been a continued uncovering of Captagon manufacturing facilities, particularly as the Syrian Ministry of Interior works to track and arrest traffickers and producers, seize and destroy large quantities of narcotic pills, and apprehend dealers and smugglers.
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