drug trade

What began as a locally rooted trade in coca leaves and opium evolved into a transnational system of cartels that challenged governments, corrupted institutions, and destabilised countries

The combined effect of the shocks to the Assad regime and Hezbollah's operational capacity has been to transform, rather than end, illicit cross-border economies like arms and captagon

Many had hoped the drug trade would stop after Assad's fall, but traffickers have shown resilience. With sustained regional demand and limited job opportunities, the industry isn't going anywhere.

The Kingdom is working with European partners in its war on drugs. But with such stellar profits to be made and such keen demand, it has been an uphill battle.

Its central location has made it a crucial hub. Today, Iraq not only trafficks drugs but produces them, and 60% of its citizens are now users. Unemployment and corruption have fuelled the problem.

Criminal enterprise in the country is not new, but the past decade's unstable landscape has created the perfect conditions for it to flourish. Al Majalla explains how Syria became a drug lord.

A prevalence of cheap drugs, a lack of awareness, and an inability to detect problems at an early stage are just some of the factors that have created a perfect storm

The Middle East and Central Asia have been major opium production centres for millennia but the growing legitimate and illegitimate use of these powerful drugs is also causing big problems

The interception of more than a dozen unmanned aerial vehicles in recent months has shown that smuggling has a highly effective new toy, while the Jordanians have a new security headache

Jordan's swift and tough military action has forced Damascus to address a problem it has long sought to ignore. Meanwhile, sources claim Iranian involvement in weapons smuggling.