Drug Trafficking

Jordan and Syria tout close ties, but border smuggling and strikes tell another story – analysis

A church attack in Karak, a Jordanian strike in southern Syria and a foiled 2 million-pill smuggling run have raised tensions in a region that also borders Israel’s Golan.

Mourners attend the funeral of four members of the same family, including three children, who were killed in a reported Jordanian airstrike in the town of Al-Mismiyah, in Syria's southern Daraa province, October 27, 2026.
ILLUSTRATIVE: POLICE ARREST suspect thought to have allowed illegal immigrants through border, November 30, 2025.

Known criminal serving as police agent aids in mass arrest of 28 drug traffickers across Israel

Supporters of Venezuela's government rally to demand the release of ousted President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, two months after their capture by the US, in Caracas, Venezuela March 3, 2026.

Venezuela's Maduro to face new US charges over alleged torture of Americans, says official

Police personnel stand outside a closed lab following an advisory from the local authority to close shops and other establishments at Connaught Place in New Delhi on July 23, 2026.

Indian police detain Israeli for staying without valid travel documents following drug charges


Five arrested in China-US joint operation targeting drug trafficking

A joint China-US anti-narcotics operation led to five arrests and the seizure of synthetic opioids like protonitazene and bromazolam in multiple locations across both countries.

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping as they hold a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025.

Jordan is enforcing a red line in Syria via airstrikes - analysis

The Kingdom of Jordan has carried out airstrikes in Syria targeting drug smugglers near Sweida.

A view of a Royal Jordanian Air Force aircraft before the airdrop operation of aid over Gaza on August 14, 2025.

Syria cracks down on Hezbollah plots, drug smuggling

Syria is cracking down on terrorist plots and drug trade, busting Iran-backed terror cells and shutting down Hezbollah-linked smuggling plots.

 A view of the drugs seized in a successful operation carried out by the Anti-Narcotics Directorate in the Jaramana district of Rif Dimashq province, displayed at the Anti-Narcotics Directorate in Damascus, Syria on April 15, 2026.

Suspected drug dealer barricades himself inside Jerusalem home, threatens to harm self

According to the police, after the officers arrived at the scene, the suspected dealer threatened to harm himself, refusing to cooperate and barricading himself in his home.

A KNIFE and toy gun, found with a suspected drug dealer in Jerusalem, April 15, 2026.

Woman detained after waving knives in Beersheba, court indicts suspects for lynching boy in Huwara

Jerusalem man indicted for sexual offenses against minors • Jerusalem Police seized several kilos of controlled substances • Two suspects arrested for possession of heroin and cocaine

[ILLUSTRATIVE] Israeli Border Police officers patrol outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City during the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, February 18, 2026.

How Hezbollah’s narco-trafficking networks help finance Iran’s global strategy

While it is true that Iran provides most of Hezbollah's financing, crime, including drug trafficking, gun running, blood diamonds, illicit timber, and even human trafficking.

Bags of cocaine that were seized by Israel Police.

US blocks Venezuelan govt. from paying for Maduro's legal representation in drug trafficking case

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, both pleaded not guilty on January 5 to drug trafficking charges that could land them in a US prison for decades. They are jailed in New York awaiting trial.

Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is escorted, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan, earlier this month. The handling of Maduro’s transportation to New York was done without discretion to send a message, the writer says.

Syria announces major drug bust through coordination with Iraq against Captagon trafficking

A source in the Syrian Ministry of Interior told The Media Line that anti-narcotics units carried out what he described as a “high-quality” security operation in Homs province.

KURDISH INTERNAL security forces stand guard after seizing a quantity of captagon pills in Qamishli, Syria, March 25, 2025.

Mexican army kills 'El Melcho': How is Mexico's most violent cartel so powerful? - explainer

With high-caliber weapons and military-grade equipment, the CJNG is one of Mexico's most powerful and violent drug cartels. But how did it gain so much power?

A member of the Mexican navy patrols Benito Juarez International Airport after Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as "El Mencho," was killed in Jalisco state, in Mexico City, Mexico, February 22, 2026.

New US military-led group aided Mexico's hunt for 'El Mencho' cartel boss

The Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel, which involves multiple US government agencies, was quietly launched late last year with the goal of mapping out networks of drug cartel members.

Vehicles drive past a burning bus used as a roadblock by organized crime following a federal operation in which a government source said Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, commonly known as "El Mencho," was killed, in Zapopan, Mexico, February 22, 2026.