Jordan-Israel border becomes new hotspot for sophisticated drug trade

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Jordan’s border with Israel is drawing growing concern as authorities face a rise in sophisticated drug-smuggling attempts. The article says gangs operating in southern Israel’s Negev Desert, with links extending into Jordan and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, are using drones and helium-filled balloons to move narcotics across one of the region’s most heavily monitored frontiers.

The piece says Jordanian officials believe the trade has shifted as smuggling routes from Syria declined after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in late 2024. Jordan had previously treated the Syria corridor as a major security problem tied to Captagon production and distribution. With that route disrupted, security attention has increasingly turned to the Jordan-Israel border, where hashish, crystal meth and amphetamines are alleged to be moving into the kingdom.

According to figures cited by the article from Jordanian forces, there were 17 drone-related interception operations in the first half of 2026 in the southwest border area, along with hundreds of smuggling and infiltration attempts across various borders. Jordan’s interior minister said drug smuggling from Israel was increasing and that the country had recorded more than 15,000 drug cases during the year, though the article distinguishes between trafficking and personal-use cases.

The report also notes accusations in Jordan that Israeli border forces are not doing enough to stop the activity, while stopping short of presenting proof of direct collusion. It provides regional context on how changing conflict conditions and high profits have pushed traffickers toward more advanced tactics and routes.