Syrian authorities have seized more than 700,000 Captagon pills and 40 kilograms of hashish after foiling smuggling attempts from neighbouring Lebanon, state news agency Sana reported.
The Ministry of Defence's media department said the country's border guards intercepted several attempts in recent days to smuggle drugs from Lebanese territory to areas in the Syrian countryside, including Homs and Damascus. It did not say whether any arrests were made.
“The operations follow ongoing efforts by Syrian authorities to combat drug trafficking and secure the country’s borders,” Sana reported.
It added that Syrian authorities had already thwarted an attempt earlier this month to smuggle a large shipment of drugs from Lebanon to farms near Al Nabek in rural Damascus after extensive surveillance.
Captagon is a highly addictive amphetamine-like substance that was produced on a mass scale during Syria's civil war, which broke out in 2011. Production and trade became a vital source of funding for former president Bashar Al Assad's regime.
Since his downfall in December 2024, Syria's authorities have been clamping down on the multibillion-dollar illegal drugs network, with nationwide operations shutting down illicit manufacturing sites, and increased cross-border co-operation with its regional neighbours.
Instead of Syria being what officials had called a “Captagon hub” and a “source of threat”, last month the country announced it was an “active partner in combating” the drug trade.
According to Sana, Syria’s Anti-Narcotics Directorate has carried out at least 1,550 drug seizures and interdiction operations since Mr Al Assad’s downfall. These operations have led to the dismantling of 90 international smuggling networks and the closure of 17 Captagon factories.
