Those involved in international drugs trafficking continue to find routes to ensure their illicit trade continues. The National recently reported how the fall of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria – once the world’s leading producer and exporter of the lucrative Captagon stimulant – helped exacerbate the already surging narcotics trade thousands of kilometres away in Yemen. There, Syrian and Iranian producers continue to exploit the country’s war and economic collapse.
Security sources in Yemen spoke of smugglers making their way along the volatile country’s porous 1,300km border with Saudi Arabia, transporting drugs with donkeys and drones. The reason for such determined criminality is not complicated – illegal drugs are often very profitable. One Yemeni source claimed he had frequently interrogated traffickers who had “no affiliation, no agenda”. Their motivation was simple: “They just want to get paid.”
In many ways, The National’s report highlighted the myriad challenges facing governments and law enforcement across the Middle East when it comes to the drugs trade. Long borders, fragmented responses and unresolved armed conflicts all work to the advantage of trafficking networks. That several key Middle East countries, including Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, suffer from ailing economies increases the deadly allure of this dangerous and damaging trade.
However, despite the entrenched nature of the drugs trade, it is possible that the Middle East is closer now to disrupting these criminal networks than at any time in recent years. This week, Iraq’s Interior Ministry hosted the third Baghdad International Conference to Fight Drugs. There, interior ministers and heads of anti-drugs services from several countries – including Syria, Lebanon and Jordan – worked on joint strategies, intelligence sharing and practical co-operation.
It is compelling, and somewhat surprising, to see a common agenda being set by regional neighbours, some of whom have had a distrustful, complex relationship in the past. Syria, which is overhauling its state and security infrastructure, was at the same table as Lebanon, whose government – although plagued by Hezbollah and lingering apprehension of Syrian influence – is also working to curb the destabilising cross-border drugs trade.
Similarly, host country Iraq – which is also fighting to overcome corruption and renew its institutions – is working more closely with its neighbours against the criminal cartels. In a communique from the Baghdad talks, the countries committed to “enhance intelligence-sharing mechanisms and security operations based on international laws to dismantle drugs trafficking networks”.
The fruits of such a common-sense joint approach are evident. In October, Iraq and Syria announced the seizure of 370kg of drugs in a joint operation in Syria. In July, Iraqi counter-narcotics forces seized more than 1.35 million Captagon pills during a rare and significant cross-border operation in Damascus. And in February, Iraq announced the confiscation of an estimated 1.1 tonnes of Captagon pills hidden inside a lorry that entered the country from Syria through Turkey. This seizure was the first major bust since the downfall of the Assad government in December – an event that has arguably paved the way for better co-operation.
There is a long way to go before drug routes are curtailed and a comprehensive joint approach is born. It takes time to build trust and to get different branches of law enforcement to work together seamlessly. In addition, there are still varying national approaches to the issue of drug taking in the Middle East, with some countries more focused on criminalisation than rehabilitation. But as co-operation deepens, there will be fewer ad hoc responses to this transnational issue. That is something to be encouraged and worked towards.
