The Syrian anti-narcotics unit allegedly thwarted a large-scale drug smuggling attempt from Lebanese territory, but alleged the suspects were able to escape arrest by retreating into Lebanon, the Syrian Interior Ministry announced on Monday.
Describing a ‘limited clash,” the ministry did not explain how the alleged suspects were able to escape arrest.
Sharing that the drugs had been intended for distribution to Jordan and the Arab Gulf states, the ministry expressed that the operation had involved an ambush organized based on “accurate and reliable information.”
The seizure was said to include approximately 106 kilograms of hashish, nearly 650,000 Captagon pills, and 60 grams of marijuana, along with a number of other chemical stimulants.
Sharaa regime credited with curbing Middle East, North Africa Captagon trade
Captagon, also known as amphetamine fenethylline, was a financial tool used by the former Assad regime to raise billions for the dictatorship as sanctions and diplomatic isolation pushed the Assad-era Syrian economy to rely heavily on the illicit trade, according to the United Nations.
Some 80% of the pills confiscated since 2019 are understood to have originated in Syria, according to research published by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) last week.
Since December last year, Syria has dismantled 15 industrial-level laboratories and 13 smaller facilities for storage, according to the research brief, the UNODC found, while noting that this past year has seen a greater number of seizures than ever before.
The stimulant pill, which has been colloquially labeled the ‘Jihadi pill’ due to its abuse by terrorist groups, has been the main drug of concern in the Gulf state and parts of North Africa for several years. Following the regime’s crackdown, the UNODC shared that the price for Captagon had increased in the Gulf - indicating that the regime has successfully disrupted much of the regional trade.
While the regime’s crackdown has had an apparent impact on the drug trade, the UN authority warned that stockpiles likely still exist within Syria and traffickers continue to use new technology to transport the substance across borders.
Since December 2024, a minimum of 177 million Captagon tablets have been intercepted across the Arab region, according to the research.
“While the drug market expanded in recent years, it divided the region, but the need for action is now bringing it together,” said Bo Mathiasen, UNODC Director for Operations.
Mathiasen added that greater cooperation between countries within the region, leading to intelligence sharing, had also been a key component to cracking down on the trade.
Chief of Research and Analysis at UNODC, Angela Me, warned in June that the drug is now being synthesized in parts of Libya and is slowly spreading to the West.