clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Syria arrests drug czar for drug trafficking

August 23, 2019 at 11:35 am

The Syrian government has arrested the director of the Anti-Narcotics Department and a number of his team on suspicion of facilitating drug trafficking.

According to pro-regime website Hashtag Syria, a number of senior officials have been under investigation for nearly two months in an effort to uncover whether they have been receiving bribes to turn a blind eye to drug offenses and replacing narcotics with substances which are not illegal.

The website explained that the investigations confirmed the involvement of the Director of the Anti-Narcotics Department, Major General Raed Khazim, pointing out that he is now being held in Adra prison.

Khazim took over the narcotics administration in 2016.

Syrian authorities announced earlier this year that the number of drug trafficking cases in 2018 reached 6,599, while the number of those held on drug offenses reached 8,409.

READ: Egypt state employees undergo drug tests