Jordan-Israel border sees rise in high-tech drug smuggling

Jordanian authorities are expressing growing concern as the border with Israel emerges as a major route for sophisticated drug smuggling. Organized criminal networks operating in Israel’s Negev Desert are reportedly linked to groups in Jordan and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, utilizing high-tech methods such as quadcopter drones and helium-filled balloons to transport hashish, crystal meth, and amphetamines.

This shift in smuggling activity follows changes in the regional drug landscape after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria in late 2024. Previously, Syria served as a primary hub for the production and distribution of Captagon, an illegal amphetamine stimulant, with Jordan acting as a transit point to the Gulf. While the collapse of the Assad regime and the rise of a new Syrian authority have decreased Captagon flow from Syria, security forces in Jordan are now increasingly focused on the high-tech smuggling tactics occurring along the Israel-Jordan border.