Syria’s Captagon arrives in Iraq despite strict measures
Erbil, KRI, Iraq (North Press) – The Iraqi Ministry of Interior said on Monday night that Captagon pills enter the country from Lebanon and Syria despite the strict measures imposed by the Iraqi forces.
“There are international and transnational crimes, such as human and drug trafficking,” said Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Khaled al-Muhanna.
Al-Muhanna revealed that most of the countries from which drugs come are Afghanistan and Iran. As for the pills, they come through Lebanon and Syria.
Meanwhile, General Ali Omran, commander of the army’s 5th Infantry Division, confirmed that the Iraqi-Syrian border are fully secured, in addition to the full and high readiness of the fighters and the solid defensive fortifications along the border strip.
Iraq shares more than 600 km border with Syria extending from the al-Rukban area up to the Faysh Khabur in the north closer to the Turkish border with the northern part run by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
Al-Muhanna said that combating drug smuggling require coordination with the countries of the region, discussions, and making joint agreements and joint memoranda of understanding, and this is what the Ministry of Interior has done in the last period.
Iraqi security forces have intensified narcotic operations in the recent months, with several high-profile drug seizures reported.
On Mars 11, the Iraqi authorities seized three million pills of Captagon, an amphetamine-type stimulant, at al-Qa’im border crossing between Syria and Iraq.
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, according to a report published by the Arab News in October, 2022.
US President Joe Biden signed a massive defense spending bill into law on Dec. 23, 2022 that included a proposal to combat trade of Captagon in the areas controlled by the Syrian government.