In response to mounting security threats, Syrian authorities have intensified efforts to combat drug smuggling, focusing on dismantling networks involved in the production and trafficking of Captagon pills, a narcotics trade long tied to the wartime economy once sustained by the ousted regime.
Over the past week, security forces thwarted multiple smuggling attempts across four Syrian provinces. Among them were two major operations: one targeting a shipment en route to Iraq, and another destined for Saudi Arabia. The operations signal a marked increase in regional security coordination aimed at curbing transnational Captagon trafficking.
Despite the collapse of the Assad regime and major geopolitical shifts in the region, narcotics smuggling networks continue to pose a major security challenge for Syria’s relations with neighboring countries, particularly Jordan, Iraq, and the Gulf states.
The Syrian Ministry of Interior released images of custom restaurant equipment used to conceal roughly 32,000 Captagon pills, which were intercepted before reaching Saudi Arabia. The bust was carried out by the Anti-Narcotics Branch in the Damascus countryside.
The suspects have been referred to the judiciary, though their identities and exact number remain undisclosed.
Simultaneously, Syria’s General Authority for Land and Sea Border Crossings reported the seizure of a cannabis shipment at the Al-Rai border crossing with Türkiye in northern Aleppo.
According to an announcement on the platform X, border security officers intercepted the drugs after becoming suspicious of the driver and conducting a thorough inspection of the truck.
Across the border in Jordan, a military source confirmed that northern border patrols intercepted and tracked an aircraft suspected of smuggling drugs. Its cargo was recovered after it was dropped inside Jordanian territory and handed over to the proper authorities.
Prior to these operations, over 1.35 million Captagon pills, equivalent to approximately 2,015 kilograms, were seized inside Syria in a joint Syrian-Iraqi security operation, the first of its kind between the two neighbors.
The Iraqi Ministry of Interior stated that the operation led to the dismantling of one of the most dangerous drug trafficking networks in the region. Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammari praised the coordinated effort, which he said was conducted in partnership with Syria’s Anti-Narcotics Directorate.
Syrian Anti-Narcotics chief Khaled Eid confirmed the success of the operation, attributing it to “precise intelligence-sharing” between the two agencies, following an extensive surveillance and investigation period.
In a separate development last Wednesday, a shootout erupted in central Damascus during a security raid targeting a well-known drug gang involved in trafficking narcotics and counterfeit currency.
The operation, which took place in the Al-Muhajireen-Nabaa district, ended with the death of one gang member. Authorities recovered large quantities of drugs, firearms, and counterfeiting equipment.
Meanwhile, in the coastal city of Latakia, a joint security operation led by the Internal Security Directorate and the Anti-Narcotics Department resulted in the arrest of a suspect involved in drug trafficking. Seized from the individual were around 70,000 narcotic pills, 50 bars of hashish, and $7,000 in counterfeit US currency.
Syria continues to grapple with the legacy of illicit networks that flourished during years of conflict, under the protection of the former regime.
According to international reports, including a British government assessment, Syria accounted for nearly 80% of global Captagon production at its peak, with an annual market value exceeding $10 billion. An estimated $2.4 billion in profits allegedly went directly to the Assad family.
