AND reports 1,025 cases of drug dealing, abuse so far this year

AMMAN — The Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) has dealt with 1,025 cases of drug dealing and abuse since the beginning of this year, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Tuesday.

Out of the total number, 504 cases involved dealing or taking synthetic cannabis (locally known as joker), Petra said.

After following on tip offs on drug-related cases, AND arrested 1,578 people, 357 of whom are suspected of drug dealing, including 193 arrested in connection with joker dealing. 

AND said its personnel confiscated 2.8 million narcotic pills, 128,000kg of hashish, 19kg of joker, 12,000 bags of joker, and various amounts of heroin, cocaine and marijuana since the start of the year.

One of the cases involved a raid on a house in Mafraq, 80km northeast of Amman, where AND personnel arrested the owner and confiscated 80,000 narcotic pills and JD57,000, the department said, adding that search is ongoing to find the suspect’s accomplice.

In Aqaba, around 330km south of Amman, AND agents searched a vehicle and confiscated 31,000 narcotic pills.

The department stressed that its campaigns will continue to crackdown on any person who deals or abuses narcotics, commending citizens who provide information that would help in arresting suspects.

The World Anti-Doping Agency released a report last year that said Jordan remains a corridor country — rather than a destination — for drug trafficking.

The government says the developments in the region and the dangers at the borders of neighbouring countries, which are left uncontrolled, in addition to the influx of refugees into Jordan, all led to a 25 per cent increase last year in the Kingdom’s efforts to combat drugs compared to 2015.