Iraq seizes 3 million captagon pills coming from Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Iraqi authorities seized on Saturday three million pills of captagon, an amphetamine-type stimulant, at al-Qa’im border crossing between Syria and Iraq.
The pills were hidden in apple crates “loaded onto a refrigerator truck” and discovered at the al-Qa’im crossing, the Iraqi border authority said.
“The seizure process was carried out through information received from our private sources and in cooperation with the intelligence of the Brigade 45 of the Popular Mobilization Forces,” the Iraqi border authority said.
The authority added that a joint committee was formed and a seizure report was submitted.
A border authority official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the shipment from Syria into Iraq contained captagon pills produced by several manufacturers.
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.