Middle East
The image shows Captagon pills seized on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, during a joint operation conducted by Iraqi and Syrian authorities in the city of Homs, central Syria. Photo: Syria’s interior ministry
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syria’s interim government announced on Wednesday that more than 400,000 Captagon pills were seized in a joint security operation with Iraq.
The Syrian Interior Ministry said in a statement that an estimated 65 kilograms of pills were confiscated in a “successful operation in Homs conducted in cooperation with the Iraqi General Directorate for Drug Control.”
The operation “foiled a plan to smuggle a large shipment of narcotics out of the country,” the statement said.
Authorities also arrested two individuals accused of managing an international smuggling network.
“The seized quantity was confiscated in accordance with the laws, and the two detainees were referred to the judiciary” which will investigate and charge the suspects, the ministry added.
The operation marks a new phase of stronger security and intelligence cooperation between Baghdad and Damascus. The two sides have recently stepped up efforts to curb drug trafficking, particularly narcotics smuggling from Syria into Iraq.
The Iraqi Intelligence Service last week said it carried out a high-profile operation targeting transnational organized crime networks. Conducted in coordination with Syrian security agencies, the operation dismantled an international drug trafficking network operating inside Syria with authorities seizing an estimated 200,000 pills intended for smuggling.
The production and trafficking of Captagon - a powerful amphetamine - has been a longstanding concern across the Middle East, where both consumption and smuggling have surged in recent years.
Under the rule of now-deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, Syria was widely regarded as a primary hub for Captagon production and distribution benefitting the former regime, with many analysts pointing to Maher al-Assad, the president’s brother, as a central figure in the industry.
Since Assad’s 2024 overthrow, Syria’s interim authorities have seized millions of Captagon pills across the country. Smuggling operations persist, however, with neighboring states - including Iraq - seizing large quantities of the drug.
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