Syria
A Syrian rebel fighter inspects pills of captagon produced at a makeshift lab facility in the town of al-Dimas about 27 kilometres northwest of Damascus on December 22, 2024. AFP file photo
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syria announced late Sunday that its drug enforcement agency, in a joint security operation with Iraq, foiled an attempt to smuggle 500,000 Captagon pills.
“The operation, part of ongoing efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks, led to the arrest of two suspects,” Syrian state media reported, citing a statement from the interior ministry.
The shipment was reportedly destined for smuggling into “neighboring countries.”
Baghdad and Damascus have recently strengthened cooperation, moving from basic intelligence sharing to coordinated field operations, particularly targeting the trafficking of narcotics from Syria to - and through - Iraq.
A similar joint operation in February resulted in the seizure of 65 kilograms of Captagon in Syria’s central province of Homs.
Iraq is one of the primary destinations for Captagon, a powerful amphetamine.
Saad Maan, head of Iraq’s Security Media Cell, told Rudaw in February 2025 that drug trafficking is “the most widespread crime” in the country.
He added that there have been attempts to manufacture methamphetamine and Captagon - among the most prevalent psychotropic substances - within Iraq, though most illicit drugs are imported.
Iraq’s National Security Service (INSS) announced in January that more than 835 individuals were arrested nationwide on drug-related charges in 2025. Authorities also seized 112 kilograms of narcotics and 621,000 pills over the past year.
Syria was a major hub for the production and trafficking of Captagon under the now-deposed Bashar al-Assad. His brother, Maher al-Assad, is widely believed to have overseen the operation, using it both for financial gain and political leverage.
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