Southern Syria: Sanctions Alone Cannot Eliminate Captagon Industry

 A picture published by the Eighth Brigade, showing drugs found in the headquarters of one of the groups affiliated with Imad Abu Zureik, east of Daraa.
A picture published by the Eighth Brigade, showing drugs found in the headquarters of one of the groups affiliated with Imad Abu Zureik, east of Daraa.
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Southern Syria: Sanctions Alone Cannot Eliminate Captagon Industry

 A picture published by the Eighth Brigade, showing drugs found in the headquarters of one of the groups affiliated with Imad Abu Zureik, east of Daraa.
A picture published by the Eighth Brigade, showing drugs found in the headquarters of one of the groups affiliated with Imad Abu Zureik, east of Daraa.

Local leaders in southern Syria underestimated the impact of the sanctions imposed by the United States and Britain on Syrian figures involved in cooperating with the Syrian regime in the Captagon trade. They stressed that combating this phenomenon required a military force and the launching of development projects that would generate job opportunities for the residents.

In a statement on Tuesday, the US Treasury announced that it had imposed sanctions on six persons, of Syrian and Lebanese nationalities, and two companies tied with the Syrian regime and the Hezbollah militia. Among those is Imad Abu Zureik, a local leader in Daraa, who has played an important role enabling drug production and smuggling in southern Syria, according to the US Treasury.

Also, the British government announced Tuesday imposing sanctions on 11 entities linked to the Syrian regime, including three leaders of local groups. Two of them, Imad Abu Zureik and Mustafa al-Masalmeh, are from Daraa, and a third, Raji Falhout, from the Suweida governorate.

The statement noted that these figures were involved in the smuggling and manufacture of Captagon in southern Syria.

Commenting on the impact of the recent British and US announcements, a local leader told Asharq Al-Awsat: “The new sanctions, which targeted local personalities in southern Syria, do not seem to address the spread of drugs and the transformation of the south into a transit area for neighboring countries, for a number of reasons.”

“The sanctions targeted marginal personalities in the south, who are nothing but tools in the hands of influential security bodies.”

The local official, who had participated in the recent military operations against ISIS cells and drug dealers in the region, added: “Neither the US Administration nor the British government has the means of pressure to hand over or stop the persons mentioned above."

"In addition, those leaders do not have any interests, relations or property that connect them with neighboring countries that could be tools of pressure against them,” he noted.

He also explained that the solution required a military force that would have the confidence of all sides and the power and authority to dismantle the smuggling networks.

Moreover, the local leader stressed that social support must also be provided and recovery projects launched in the region to create job opportunities and generate an appropriate income to the unemployed and families.

“This requires joint efforts from society, the government and international organizations, and coordination and intensification of efforts to reach effective results,” he stressed.



Lebanon Ready for Syria Pact to Repatriate Non-Terror Convicts

Lebanon’s Justice Minister Adel Nassar (NNA)
Lebanon’s Justice Minister Adel Nassar (NNA)
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Lebanon Ready for Syria Pact to Repatriate Non-Terror Convicts

Lebanon’s Justice Minister Adel Nassar (NNA)
Lebanon’s Justice Minister Adel Nassar (NNA)

Lebanon’s Justice Minister Adel Nassar said Beirut had received no warnings from Damascus about potential retaliatory measures to push for the release of Syrian detainees held in Lebanese prisons, dismissing any talk of escalation as unnecessary.

“There’s no need for escalation. We’re fully open to resolving this issue through direct dialogue and a formal treaty with the Syrian authorities, one that allows the transfer of Syrian convicts, except those sentenced for killing Lebanese soldiers or for terrorism charges,” Nassar told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Nassar revealed that his ministry had already prepared a draft agreement aimed at moving the stalled file forward, stressing that resolving the issue is in Lebanon’s interest as much as Syria’s.

“This would ease the severe overcrowding in our prisons,” he said. “We’re determined to take every step in full compliance with Lebanese law and judicial procedures.”

According to Nassar, some 1,700 Syrians are currently detained in Lebanon, including 389 with final verdicts. The rest are still on trial.

“Their treatment is identical to that of Lebanese inmates,” he added. “We’re holding court sessions directly at Roumieh prison to address logistical constraints, and there’s also an intention to do the same for the military court.”

Addressing the recent Cabinet appointment of Maher Shaito as financial public prosecutor, a move widely seen as a win for the minister after rejecting a nominee backed by the Hezbollah-Amal alliance, Nassar insisted the process was purely institutional.

“This was a victory for state institutions. I can’t nominate someone I don’t believe is qualified,” he said. “After consulting senior judges and the head of the Higher Judicial Council, it was clear there was consensus around Shaito due to his credentials and track record.”

He stressed that the appointment involved “no deals or political bartering,” adding that while he found Judge Ziad Hamadeh unsuitable for that specific post, “I never said he was unfit for another position.”

Nassar described his meeting Saturday with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri as “positive,” saying Berri expressed support for the minister’s efforts under the principle of judicial independence.

On long-awaited judicial appointments, Nassar said the Judicial Council was working “around the clock” and had promised to complete the file by the end of the month. “Some 600 names are currently under consideration,” he noted.

As Lebanon approaches the fifth anniversary of the 2020 Beirut port explosion, Nassar said he would not interfere with the timeline of investigative judge Tarek Bitar, who is handling the politically sensitive case.

“Judge Bitar is continuing his probe, and I’m offering full cooperation within the limits of my authority, especially when it comes to securing information from abroad,” he said. “We won’t allow any obstruction of his work.”

Nassar said the timing of the indictment “depends on whether he receives the answers to all his questions,” adding: “There’s no legal deadline obliging him to issue a ruling by a specific date.”

Responding to reports that he and other ministers had objected to certain appointments during the last Cabinet session, Nassar confirmed his opposition to the newly named Banking Control Commission, saying ministers had not been briefed beforehand.

He also voiced strong objection to linking the disarmament of Hezbollah to any other file.

“I told Cabinet and President Joseph Aoun that the issue of arms must not be conditional. I believe in the exclusive right of the state to bear arms - there can be no functioning state otherwise,” he said.

Nassar added that Aoun had promised to refer any final document related to the ongoing US-mediated talks on the weapons issue back to the Cabinet for discussion.