Amman, Sept. 9 (Petra) -- Border Guard units seized around 500,000 narcotic pills early Wednesday after foiling four separate attempts to smuggle drugs across the eastern border using guided balloons.

The Eastern Military Zone said the balloons were detected at several locations along one of its border fronts before being intercepted and brought down inside the Kingdom.

The operation was carried out in coordination with military security agencies and the Anti-Narcotics Department. The seized narcotics were referred to the relevant authorities for legal action.

The four interceptions come amid repeated attempts to use guided balloons to move narcotics across the border, as smugglers increasingly turn to unconventional methods to evade detection.

The Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) said changing smuggling tactics would not deter Border Guard units from countering cross-border drug trafficking.

Border forces continue to monitor various forms of illegal activity around the clock and maintain a high level of readiness across the Kingdom’s border fronts, the JAF said.

//Petra// RZ