Iran turns Syria into Captagon hub – Report
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – Seeking to find a way out of its financial crisis, the Syrian government – with the help Iran – transformed Syria into a Captagon manufacturing center that could endanger the entire region, said a report published by the Arab News on Monday.
The story of Captagon in Syria dates back to the early years of the decade-long conflict, as the Syrian government used to give the drug to its soldiers to boost their fighting mood and addict them to battles, the report claimed.
The industry is used by the government as a way to circumvent the Western sanctions, which wrought Syria’s economy, as well as a way to threaten “enemy countries.”
The report cited unnamed European sources as saying that the drug has already reached Germany, Greece and France.
On October 10, Jordanian authorities announced seizing more than 800.000 Captagon pills coming from Syria.
Building the “Captagon Empire”, as people call it, was not possible without the support of many Iranian-backed militias in Syria, which have the upper hand in the industry.
“Some militias that are loyal to Iran will not comply with any of the regime’s demands to stop smuggling drugs into certain countries that it does not want to disturb,” said the report, but clarified that the overall drug smuggling is random and not limited to a specific market.
The drug’s production, which takes place at small factories that are not properly equipped for this purpose, is expected to generate between $6 to $8 billion annually. If so, this would be the most profiting export for the government.
On September 21, US Congressman French Hill passed a bill in the US House of Representatives targeting the drug industry in Syria.
“Syria’s trade and smuggling of Captagon is no longer about ordinary drugs, but rather a weapon that threatens the safety, security and stability of regional and international communities. Therefore, the industry should be placed on international sanctions lists as a matter of urgency,” the report concluded.