Syria to curb cross-border drug trafficking

Syria has pledged to ramp up efforts to halt drug trafficking at its borders with Iraq and Jordan, according to a joint statement issued following a meeting of Arab ministers in Amman. Syria will work over the next few months to determine who is transporting narcotics into the two countries and “take the necessary steps to end smuggling on the border with Jordan and Iraq,” the statement says.

Background: Arab governments have accused Syria of producing amphetamine captagon and smuggling it into the Gulf, and top officials have been sanctioned over suspected involvement in the trade, Reuters notes.