Drug trafficking in Government-controlled Syria: How the war-torn country evolved into a main hub for Captagon trade

The infamous images of drug lords such as Pablo Escobar have faded for long, at least in the Middle East – as Syria, a war-ridden country, has been facing a perilously threatening increase in systematic drug trafficking. Surprisingly, these illegal operations do not take place clandestinely, but rather blatantly in front of the eyes of the Syrian government.

Jalal Qasas, a government-affiliated member of the Damascus Governor’s Council, recently revealed the presence of drug trade in the capital’s “bird market”, which raised many concerns due to the alarmingly high spread of drug-related incidents. The most crucial issue is the fact that the trafficking does not solely take place with “convenient drugs” but rather preponderantly involve cigarettes, filled with banned substances. Lately, Syria witnessed a drastic increase in drug trade activities.

Sham FM, a regime-affiliated channel, reported on vendors waiting for customers at residential buildings, often involved in heated arguments that sometimes escalate into stabbings. These violent incidents render the population to live in fear, frightened to leave their own houses and apartments. The market is currently dominated by chaos by shouting and an impertinent behavior that even for experienced Syrians, is completely new and shocking.

Drug trafficking and abuse has increased dramatically in regions, under the control of the Syrian government. International and regional experts do not hesitate to call the country a “Captagon Republic”.

An investigation, conducted by the “New York Times” in late 2021, revealed that Captagon factories are primarily located in regime-controlled areas as well as Hizbollah-dominated regions, close to the Lebanese border. The Jordanian army has already thwarted several attempts to smuggle narcotics from Syria into the territory of the Kingdom, whether through plastic packaging or drones.

In high-level talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abdullahian, his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Al-Safadi emphasized the urgency to immediately terminate and prevent all drug smuggling activities from Syria. King Abdullah II. of Jordan accuses the Iranian government as well as parts of the Syrian government of benefiting from the flourishing frug trade. He further highlights the daily struggle, taking place at the border with Syria for the purpose of preventing the influx of large drug quantities.

Gandhi Farah, Director of the Ibn Rushd Psychiatric Hospital in Damascus, warns of a frightening increase in cases of drug addiction particularly among young people in areas, under the control of the Syrian government. At the end of last year, Nidal Jreij, Director of the Drug Control Agency, announced that registered drug cases in government-ruled areas already reached 4,991 in 2022 with 6,408 defendants, accused of drug abuse and trafficking.