Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Damascus-SANA- “During the past week, we clashed with armed smuggling gangs in the Syrian villages of Hawik, Jermash, Wadi al-Hourani, and Akum, during a combing campaign we launched to secure the country’s western borders against smuggling operations,” said Lieutenant Colonel Muayyad al-Salameh, Western Region Commander at the Border Security Administration.
“Most smuggling gangs on the Lebanese border are affiliated with Hezbollah militia, whose presence now poses a threat at the Syrian border because it sponsors drug and weapon smugglers,” al-Salameh told SANA.
Al-Salameh added: “The former regime turned the Syrian-Lebanese border into corridors for drug trade in cooperation with Hezbollah militia, promoting the presence of armed smuggling gangs at the border area.”
“During the combing campaign, our forces were able to seize a large number of farms, warehouses, and facilities for the production and packaging of hashish and Captagon pills, in addition to printing presses specializing in printing counterfeit currency. This area represented the economic lifeline of these gangs,” al-Salameh affirmed.
He added “We also seized several shipments of weapons and drugs in the border areas with Lebanon, which were on their way to cross.”
Al-Salameh continued: “We confirm that we did not target the Lebanese interior, despite the shelling of our units by Hezbollah militia. Our operations were limited to the Syrian villages adjacent to the border, targeting armed smuggling gangs and those who fought with them from remnants and militias.”
“We have developed a comprehensive plan to fully control the borders, taking into account the existing challenges, and contributing to protecting our people from all dangers targeting them,” al-Salameh said.
Ruaa al-Jazaeri
