Iraqi forces seize Captagon in Damascus drug raid

Iraq hails first direct security operation with Syria as 'significant milestone'

Syrian police prepare to burn Captagon pills and other seized drugs in Damascus in a previous bust. EPA

Iraqi counter-narcotics forces seized more than 1.35 million Captagon pills during a raid in Syria's capital, in a rare and significant cross-border operation, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.

The operation in Damascus was the first direct security engagement between Iraq and Syria and reflects both countries' commitment to tackle the drugs threat.

An elite Iraqi unit launched the mission after gathering “precise intelligence from sources embedded in regional drug trafficking networks”, a ministry statement said. The raid was carried out "in close co-operation with the Syrian Directorate of Narcotics Control".

The operation led to the capture of a major international drug trafficking network and the confiscation of approximately 215kg of narcotics, it added.

“This achievement represents a significant milestone in the framework of international co-operation to combat cross-border threats,” the ministry said. It emphasised Iraq’s “commitment to tracking down drug traffickers wherever they may operate”.

The statement did not reveal when the raid was carried out, how many people were arrested or their identities.

There was no immediate comment on the operation from Syrian authorities.

Captagon – a mix of amphetamines also referred to as the “poor man’s cocaine” – is one of the more popular recreational drugs among youths in the Middle East.

As the civil war broke out in 2011 in Syria, millions of Captagon pills were produced under Bashar Al Assad’s regime and shipped to neighbouring countries, accounting for 80 per cent for world production, according to the New Lines Institute, a Washington think tank. The global Captagon market is worth about $10 billion a year.

Despite many tonnes of drugs being seized, the trade has fuelled addiction in countries such as Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The drugs were a vital source of cash for the heavily sanctioned Al Assad government. In 2021, the Syrian government is estimated to have made more than $5 billion from the sale of Captagon, the New Lines Institute said.

In February, Iraq announced the confiscation of an estimated 1.1 tonnes of Captagon pills hidden inside a lorry that entered Iraq from Syria through Turkey, the first major bust since the toppling of Mr Al Assad's regime in December. The haul, one of the largest seized in Iraq, was monitored and intercepted with the assistance of “important information” provided by Saudi Arabia's drug enforcement agency, ministry spokesman Brig Muqdad Meri said.

Iraq’s Shiite-led government cautiously welcomed the removal of the Assad regime by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, a largely Sunni group formerly affiliated with Al Qaeda.

Baghdad has called for an inclusive political process in Syria, expressed concern over the danger posed by a resurgent ISIS, and demanded protection for religious and ethnic minorities and Shiite shrines.

In what was seen as a desire by Baghdad to limit relations between the two nations strictly to security matters, it sent a senior delegation led by Hamid Al Shatri, head of the Iraqi intelligence service, to Damascus to meet Mr Al Shara in late December, to discuss issues including the border between the two nations. Following that, Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani made his first visit to the Iraqi capital to discuss ways to increase co-operation and to strengthen ties, and then attended the Arab Summit meeting in Baghdad in May.

Last month, both countries reopened the main border crossing for travellers and goods, which was closed after the fall of Mr Al Assad.