‘13 arrested in Ain Al Basha drug busts’

AMMAN — The Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) on Monday said its agents have arrested 13 suspected drug dealers in raids on four houses in Ain Al Basha at dawn, official sources said.

One suspect was injured during the raid after resisting arrest and exchanging gunfire with the AND force, a senior AND official said.

“No one was injured from our forces although there was brief exchange of gunfire with some of the suspects during the raids,” the official told The Jordan Times.

The raids followed “repeated complaints by residents of Ain Al Basha that these men were drug dealers and causing threats to the community”, the official added.

“We followed up on the residents’ complaints and based on the information they gave us, we monitored the houses for a while then launched the raid at dawn on Monday,” he said.

The injured suspect was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, according to a statement by the Public Security Department (PSD).

Nine automatic weapons and various illegal narcotics were seized in the raid, the PSD statement said.

The suspects, some of whom have  criminal records, were referred to the State Security Court prosecutor for further questioning and indictment, the statement added.