Syria seizes 11 million Captagon pills smuggled from Lebanon

Raid is one of country's largest since fall of Assad regime

Syria has fought against the Captagon trade since the country's new authorities seized power. AFP

Syrian authorities have seized about 11 million Captagon pills that entered the country from neighbouring Lebanon, in one of the largest busts since the fall of the former dictator Bashar Al Assad.

The Interior Ministry said an anti-narcotics branch in the province of Homs seized a car coming from Lebanese territory carrying the pills through the countryside. The pills were confiscated and investigations were under way "to uncover the identities of those involved and identify the criminal networks linked to the operation", the ministry said.

Captagon, which is similar to amphetamines, became Syria's largest export during the civil war that erupted in 2011, with its trade serving as a vital funding source for Mr Al Assad's regime.

Since his fall, the new authorities have reported major seizures of Captagon across the country. Officials in Damascus reported in June that the government had seized all Captagon production laboratories. But neighbouring countries continue to report the interception of large shipments.

Earlier this month, the Interior Ministry said it had seized about 12 million Captagon pills in a bust on a drug-smuggling network operating near Damascus. Also this month, Kuwait thwarted an attempt to smuggle pills with a street value of $18 million.

In Lebanon, Mr Al Assad's ally Hezbollah has also faced accusations of using the Captagon trade to finance itself. In September the Lebanese military announced the seizure of 64 million Captagon pills in the east of the country in one of its largest operations against the illicit stimulant.