As the world marked the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26, the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen were again accused of turning the country into a hub for drug trafficking in the region.

On the occasion, the US and the UK released statements revealing the volume of Houthi drug smuggling while the militias continue to claim that they have been destroying illicit substances that they seize.

On June 26, the British Embassy in Yemen said the country has become a frequent market and route for drug smuggling in the region and that such operations fuel conflict and organized crime and destabilize societies.

The embassy tweeted a posted by Rosie Dyas, Spokesperson for the British Government in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) region, as saying that HMS Lancaster seized more than 10 million Sterling pounds worth of narcotics and assisted a merchant vessel in three separate incidents in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf.

In May, sources said that American and international naval units in the Middle East seized illegal drugs worth $1 billion in 2022.

They revealed that during the past months, the Houthis had obtained equipment to build factories for the production of Captagon pills in regions under their control to smuggle them abroad.

Prior to the announcement, US Navy 5th Fleet spokesman Commander Tim Hawkins said the US Navy and partner forces seized more than $130 million worth of illegal drugs that were destined to Yemen and the region.

In April, the Yemeni Coast Guard said it seized a dhow carrying over three tons of drugs during an inspection at the port of Nishtun.

Minister of Information Muammar al-Eryani accused the Houthis of being behind the smuggling, which included over three tons of cannabis and 173 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and heroin. The government-run Saba news agency said the dhow was flying an Iranian flag and was manned by seven Iranian nationals.

Meanwhile, the Houthis claimed to have destroyed hashish and narcotic pills in what was viewed as a ploy to cover their drug smuggling activities.

The Security Media Center, the official Houthi media outlet, said it destroyed over 12 tons of hashish and 4.2 million narcotic pills in Al-Jawf province, northern Yemen.

A Yemeni judicial source said the Houthi claims are false because seizing a large quantity of drugs cannot happen without arresting part of the smuggling network.

He accused the Houthis of freeing a number of prisoners accused of drug smuggling during the past years, adding that the militias have cooperated with those smugglers.

The source, who works in Houthi-controlled areas, spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat about the flow of drugs into Yemen in recent years.

He revealed that the Houthis close the files of drug cases without punishing the smugglers or dealers to encourage the spread of drugs in Yemen and to blackmail small traffickers for military purposes.

Moreover, the source spoke of evidence of the Houthis’ use of drugs to recruit young men and children. They offer them narcotics for free to increase the number of Yemenis loyal to them, he explained.