Gangs Sow Fear In Tartus

Powerful crime gangs are running parts of Tartus and so far the authorities have done little to stop them, the Damascus-based independent website Al-Nazaha News reported on July 9.



The gangs control certain slum areas of the Mediterranean port city, and in some places they are more powerful than the state, the website said.



Called "Al-Shabbeha" or "ghosts", they are involved in smuggling, drug-running, and using violence to collect debts for loan sharks, and generally intimidate local residents terrified.



The gangs are believed to have connections with officials in the Tartus governorate administration, and to enjoy protection from bureaucrats and policemen. Al-Nazaha said the identities of gang members are well-known, but they operate with impunity.



Tartus gangs were blamed for a riot at the Adra prison last year. After a shootout between two rival criminals, one is in jail, but the prison governor in Tartus is threatening to resign unless the man gets transferred to another city. The other man is still on the loose, allegedly because the authorities fear they could not maintain control if both gangsters were locked up in the same jail.