Despite isolation, Gaza drug smuggling continues
Even with the closure of most tunnels between Gaza and Egypt, drugs such as Tramadol are still finding their way onto Gaza’s streets.
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Drugs are still finding their way into the Gaza Strip underground, despite Egypt closing the majority of the smuggling tunnels along its border with Gaza in 2013. Wael Awaja, director of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Palestinian Rafah, alleged that although the Egyptian army had destroyed the tunnels permitting food and merchandise to reach Gaza residents, it kept open the tunnels that allow drugs to flow into the territory.
In an interview with Al-Monitor, Awaja accused Egyptian authorities of routinely flooding Gaza with drugs, calling it an intended and clear policy. Awaja said, “The tunnels are adjacent to the southern border, and their security control falls within the Egyptian and Israeli sides and cannot be easily accessed by us. They are a danger to our security personnel, but this does not mean that there hasn’t been significant efforts to eliminate the drugs, whose numbers have dropped dramatically.”
