Exclusive – Regime Arrests Hamper Return of Normal Life in Southern Syria

Syrian regime forces at the Nassib border-crossing. (Reuters)
Syrian regime forces at the Nassib border-crossing. (Reuters)
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Exclusive – Regime Arrests Hamper Return of Normal Life in Southern Syria

Syrian regime forces at the Nassib border-crossing. (Reuters)
Syrian regime forces at the Nassib border-crossing. (Reuters)

A year has passed since the Russian-sponsored settlement deal was signed between the Syrian regime and opposition factions regarding southern Syria. The deal was signed after a military operation waged by the regime, with Russia’s backing, in late June 2018.

As a result of the agreement, which saw the return of the regime and withdrawal of opposition factions, southern Syria now lives in relative peace away from the violence in other parts of the war-torn country. This has not however, helped restore normal life in the region. Several issues related to security, services, prisoners and draft dodgers remain pending.

The regime has complied with some stipulations of the deal, while others remain pending, most notably the withdrawal of Iranian militias from the region, the prisoner file and conscription dodgers. The delay in resolving these issues and the regime’s arrests in certain areas have increased tensions and popular anger. Several rallies were staged and anti-regime slogans were once against written on the walls.

One local, Ahmed, said the arrests were the greatest obstacle in restoring trust between the people and state. He also said the fate of several prisoners held by the regime remained unknown.

Since the signing of the settlement in July 2018, the regime has arrested some 500 people.

The quality of services, such as water and electricity, remains varied between areas that were always under regime control and others that were held by the opposition. For example, Daraa city enjoys longer hours of electricity than other areas that only enjoy four or five hours a day.

Despite this, life is returning to normal. Destroyed schools are being renovated, fuel and gas is available at lower prices than before and businesses have been revitalized after the reopening of the Nassib border-crossing with Jordan.

A resident of the Daraa countryside said the settlement with the regime spared the region destruction and more death.

“This time last year, we were forced to flee the military campaign and the horrors of war were getting worse every day,” he remarked. “After the international community abandoned us, the best solution for the region lay in the settlement and attempting to reap as many gains for the area and its people.”

Now, the Russian Fifth Corps and the Maher Assad’s 4th Division are competing to gain new recruits in the area. They are each attempting to lure draft dodgers from opposition factions to their ranks, informing them that by joining, they would be fulfilling their military enlistment duty. The majority have opted to join the Fifth Corps, rather than the division of the brother of regime leader Bashar Assad. Russia offered them pledges that by joining the Fifth Corps, they will receive a monthly salary of $200 and guarantees that they will not be persecuted by the regime.

Sources said thousands of draft dodgers still remain in the South. Some voluntarily joined the regime forces, but as the North again witnessed a flare-up, many chose to desert the military after they were deployed to the frontlines in eastern and northwestern Syria. They opted to remain in Russia-held areas of the settlement where the regime, so far, does not have actual power.

Hussam al-Hourani, an activist from the South, revealed that security chaos once again returned to the area only months after the settlement took effect. He said a clash for power has led to assassinations of figures that are either close to Russia or the Iranian militias and Hezbollah party. The latter groups are seeking to gain ground in the South.

Moreover, anti-regime sentiment began to again rise in the villages and towns of Daraa. The “Popular Resistance” and “Southern Brigades” have claimed several attacks against regime forces. Opinions remain divided over who is behind these factions.



What Has Assad’s Fall Revealed about the Captagon Drug Trade in Syria?

 A Syrian member of the opposition shows amphetamine pills known as Captagon hidden inside an electrical component at a warehouse where the drug was manufactured before the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government at a facility in Douma city, outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP)
A Syrian member of the opposition shows amphetamine pills known as Captagon hidden inside an electrical component at a warehouse where the drug was manufactured before the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government at a facility in Douma city, outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP)
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What Has Assad’s Fall Revealed about the Captagon Drug Trade in Syria?

 A Syrian member of the opposition shows amphetamine pills known as Captagon hidden inside an electrical component at a warehouse where the drug was manufactured before the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government at a facility in Douma city, outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP)
A Syrian member of the opposition shows amphetamine pills known as Captagon hidden inside an electrical component at a warehouse where the drug was manufactured before the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government at a facility in Douma city, outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP)

Since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, industrial-scale manufacturing facilities of Captagon have been uncovered around the country, which experts say helped flourish a $10 billion annual global trade in the highly addictive drug.

Among the locations used for manufacturing the drug were the Mazzeh air base in Damascus, a car-trading company in Latakia and a former potato chips factory on the outskirts of Damascus.

The factory that once produced the crunchy snack in the suburb of Douma under the name, Captain Corn, was seized by government forces in 2018.

"Assad’s collaborators controlled this place. After the regime fell... I came here and found it on fire," Firas al-Toot, the original owner of the factory, told The Associated Press. "They came at night and lit the drugs on fire but couldn’t burn everything."

"From here, Captagon pills emerged to kill our people," said Abu Zihab, an activist with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main group now ruling the country, as his group gave access to journalists to the site.

Syria's nearly 14-year-old civil war fragmented the country, crumbled the economy and created fertile ground for the production of the drug. Militias, warlords and the Assad government transformed Captagon from a small-scale operation run by small criminal groups into a billion-dollar industrial revenue stream.

The recent ousting of Assad has disrupted these networks and has given a closer look at its operations — revealing the workings of a war economy that sustained Assad’s power over Syria. Experts say the change in Syria might create an opportunity to dismantle the Captagon industry.

How did Syria build its Captagon empire?

Captagon was first developed in Germany in the 1960s as a prescription stimulant for conditions like narcolepsy. It was later outlawed due to heart issues and its addictive properties.

Its amphetamine-like effects made it popular in the Middle East among both elites and fighters, as it enhanced focus and reduced fatigue.

Assad's government recognized an opportunity in the cheaply manufactured drug amid Syria’s economic turmoil and the heavy sanctions imposed on it.

Captagon is produced through a simple chemical process that involves mixing amphetamine derivatives with excipients to form tablets, typically in makeshift labs.

The Captagon trade began industrializing around 2018-2019 as the Assad regime — and other armed groups in Syria -- invested in production facilities, warehouses and trafficking networks. This allowed Syria to emerge as the largest producer of Captagon globally, with some production also occurring in Lebanon.

Most seized consignments of Captagon originated from Syria, according to data by the New Lines Captagon Trade Project, an initiative of the New Lines Institute think tank.

Evidence of the Assad regime’s sponsorship of the Captagon industry is overwhelming, the report published in May said. The Security Office of the 4th Armored Division of the Syrian Arab Army, headed by Bashar al-Assad’s brother Maher oversaw operations and created a coordinated production system, the report added.

Where and how was Captagon smuggled?

Captagon was smuggled across the border using various methods, hiding Captagon in trucks, cargo shipments and goods. Some shipments are concealed in food, electronics and construction materials to evade detection.

The primary smuggling routes were Syria’s porous borders with Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, from which the drug is distributed throughout the region. Some were also shipped from Latakia port.

In Lebanon, the Captagon trade has flourished, particularly near the Syrian border and in the Bekaa Valley. Lebanese authorities struggled to curb the flow of Captagon from Syria, which analysts say was facilitated by the Hezbollah group, a key Assad ally.

Following the discovery of crates of fruit meticulously packed with bundles of the drug hidden among pomegranates and oranges, Saudi Arabia and the UAE implemented bans on Lebanese agricultural products.

Captagon has also found its way into international markets, reaching as far as Southeast Asia and parts of Europe.

How much revenue did it produce for the Assad regime?

The annual global trade in Captagon has an estimated value of $10 billion, with the ousted Assad family's annual profit reaching around $2.4 billion, according to Caroline Rose, director of the New York-based New Lines Institute Captagon Trade Project.

"Seeing the uncovering of so many industrial-scale facilities affiliated with the regime was shocking but not surprising. There was extensive evidence linking key regime-aligned cronies and Assad family members to the trade," said Rose, whose organization tracks all publicly recorded Captagon seizures and lab raids. The discovery of the facilities, she said, confirmed "the concrete relationship between Captagon and the former regime."

The exact number of factories in Syria remains unclear, but experts and HTS members estimate that there are likely hundreds spread throughout the country.

The future of Captagon in post-Assad Syria

Assad has turned Syria into "the largest Captagon factory in the world," HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa stated in a victory speech at Damascus’s Umayyad Mosque on Dec. 8. "Today, Syria is being cleansed, thanks to the grace of Almighty God."

While Assad and his circle may have been the primary beneficiaries, there is also evidence that Syrian opposition groups were involved in drug smuggling, opposition groups, local militias and organized crime networks manufactured and smuggled the drug to finance their operations, analysts say.

"Likely, we will see a short-term supply reduction in the trade, with a decline in the size and frequency of seizures as industrial-scale production is largely halted. However, criminal actors are innovative, likely seeking out new locations to engage in production and smuggling, particularly as demand levels remain stable," Rose said.

They may also "seek out alternative illicit trades to engage in instead," she said.

In addition to dismantling the Captagon trade, the country's transitional government should "establish programs for economic development that will incentivize Syrians to participate in the country’s formal, licit economic sphere," Rose said.