DAMASCUS: Syrian authorities destroyed a massive stockpile of narcotics on Wednesday, including approximately one million pills of Captagon, a banned stimulant whose industrial-scale production flourished during the rule of ousted president Bashar al-Assad, two security officials said.
Captagon, an amphetamine-like stimulant, became Syria’s largest export during the country’s 13-year civil war, effectively turning it into a narco-state under Assad.
“We found a large quantity of Captagon, around one million pills,” said Osama, a balaclava-clad member of the security forces whose khaki uniform bore a “public security” patch. He requested to be identified by his first name only.
A journalist witnessed security personnel pouring fuel over and burning caches of cannabis, the painkiller tramadol, and bags of pink and yellow Captagon pills at a security compound in Damascus’s Kafr Sousa district, previously controlled by Assad’s forces.
Captagon has flooded black markets across the region in recent years, with Saudi Arabia emerging as a primary destination for the drug.
“The security forces of the new government discovered a drug warehouse while inspecting the security quarter,” said another security officer, Hamza.
Authorities also incinerated stocks of alcohol, cannabis, hashish, and Captagon, citing a commitment to “protect Syrian society” and disrupt smuggling routes allegedly operated by businesses linked to the Assad family, Hamza added.
The new leadership has not yet clarified its policy on alcohol, which was widely available in Syria under the previous regime.
Manufacturing Sites and Smuggling Networks
Since the rebel alliance toppled Assad’s government on December 8 in a lightning offensive, Syria’s new authorities have reported uncovering vast quantities of Captagon and other narcotics in former government facilities, including security branches.
Journalists have documented members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) destroying alleged Captagon caches at sites once controlled by Assad’s forces.
“This is not the first initiative of its kind,” said Hamza, confirming that security services have identified and dismantled additional drug warehouses and manufacturing sites across multiple locations.
Maher al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad’s brother and a military commander, is widely believed to have played a central role in the lucrative Captagon trade. Experts assert that the Assad regime leveraged the threat of drug-fueled instability to exert pressure on Arab governments.
In a recent development, a Saudi delegation met Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus on Sunday to discuss the country’s political situation and the Captagon trade, a source close to the government revealed.
Neighboring Jordan has also intensified its crackdown on smuggling operations along its 375-kilometer (230-mile) border with Syria, targeting both weapons and narcotics, including Captagon.
