Airstrikes kill well-known Syrian drug kingpin
CTV
Airstrikes over southern Syria early Monday killed one of the country's most well-known drug dealers, an opposition war monitor and a pro-government radio station reported.
Airstrikes over southern Syria early Monday killed one of the country's most well-known drug dealers, an opposition war monitor and a pro-government radio station reported.
The rare attack came days after Jordan warned it would use force inside Syria to eliminate drug trafficking to its territories and from there to oil-rich Arab gulf nations.
The strikes also come a day after Arab governments reinstated Syria to the Arab League following the country's suspension for its crackdown on protests. As Arab governments gradually rekindle ties with Damascus, one of the key topics of discussion has been Syria's illicit drug industry, which has flourished during the ongoing conflict -- especially illegal amphetamine Captagon.
Western governments estimate that Captagon has generated billions of dollars in revenue for President Bashar Assad, his Syrian associates, and allies. Damascus has denied the accusations.
The first strike hit a home in the Syrian village of Shuab in Sweida province near the Jordanian border, killing Merhi Ramthan, his wife and six children, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The opposition war monitor and Sham FM reported another strike in the southern province of Daraa that hit a building. The Observatory said the building housed a drug factory.
Ahmad al-Masalmeh, an opposition activist who covers developments in southern Syria, also said that one strike killed Ramthan and his family in Sweida province while the other hit a facility in Daraa province used by Iran-backed groups to produce and store drugs before smuggling them to Jordan. He said the strikes occurred before dawn Monday, igniting a fire at the drug facility in Daraa province.
