Syrian Rebels Destroy Bashar Assad's "Drug Business"
World
Syrian rebels have seized objects and transportation routes related to the production of captagon, a drug that is one of the key industries of Bashar Assad's regime.
This psychostimulant, produced in Syria, has spread through criminal networks across the Arab world, and in recent years, more and more in European Union countries. For example, in 2020, Italian authorities confiscated 14 tons of captagon in Naples.
Captagon tablets were also discovered in Germany: a year ago, customs officers in Essen seized over 400 kilograms of captagon from members of a Syrian smuggling group.
The British government estimated the global trade turnover of captagon in 2023 to be 54 billion euros, with 80% of the production originating in Syria.
One of the main organizers of production is Bashar Assad's brother, Maher al-Assad. The production of captagon is referred to as the "financial lifeblood" of the Assad regime, from which the dictator's inner circle and associated militant groups profit.
Through the captagon industry, the Assad regime, Hezbollah, and other Iranian-backed armed formations have contributed to the "growing addiction crisis" across the region.
In 2023, the U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on key participants in the captagon industry, including Bashar Assad's two cousins and members of Hezbollah who organized the drug trade.
The full scale of Syria's captagon industry may become clear in the coming days. Currently, rebels are seizing production facilities and transportation routes related to the drug. For example, on the military airbase of Mezze, captured by rebels, large stockpiles of captagon were destroyed — the tablets were burned.
However, it remains unclear whether the drug production will continue. Some key organizers, including Maher al-Assad, are presumed to have left Syria.
Captagon tablets were also discovered in Germany: a year ago, customs officers in Essen seized over 400 kilograms of captagon from members of a Syrian smuggling group.
The British government estimated the global trade turnover of captagon in 2023 to be 54 billion euros, with 80% of the production originating in Syria.
One of the main organizers of production is Bashar Assad's brother, Maher al-Assad. The production of captagon is referred to as the "financial lifeblood" of the Assad regime, from which the dictator's inner circle and associated militant groups profit.
Through the captagon industry, the Assad regime, Hezbollah, and other Iranian-backed armed formations have contributed to the "growing addiction crisis" across the region.
In 2023, the U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on key participants in the captagon industry, including Bashar Assad's two cousins and members of Hezbollah who organized the drug trade.
The full scale of Syria's captagon industry may become clear in the coming days. Currently, rebels are seizing production facilities and transportation routes related to the drug. For example, on the military airbase of Mezze, captured by rebels, large stockpiles of captagon were destroyed — the tablets were burned.
However, it remains unclear whether the drug production will continue. Some key organizers, including Maher al-Assad, are presumed to have left Syria.
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