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Road to Net Zero

Music & On-stage

Fashion & Beauty

Road to Net Zero

Music & On-stage

Fashion & Beauty

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Captagon

Captagon is a highly addictive drug sweeping the Middle East. The amphetamine has been associated with the war in Syria, and it has led to a crackdown by officials in the Gulf

Imad Abu Zureiq, centre in right image, was welcomed to the presidential palace by Ahmed Al Shara. Photo: SANA / AFP

Captagon smuggler welcomed by regime in Syria despite crackdown

MENAMarch 30, 2025

Syrian police destroy seized Captagon pills at the headquarters of the fourth division in Damascus in February. EPA

Syria cracks down on smuggling with massive haul of seized Captagon pills

MENAMarch 23, 2025

Syrian police check seized drugs as they prepare to burn them in Damascus on February 25. Captagon has been manufactured in the country for years, earning its makers hefty profits as it became one of the more popular recreational drugs among affluent youth in the Middle East. EPA

Crackdowns alone won't solve Syria's Captagon problem

EditorialMarch 18, 2025

Captagon pills found in a military compound in Damascus on January 7. The drug has been produced in Syria for years. AFP

Iraq confiscates 1.1 tonnes of Captagon pills shipped from Syria

MENAMarch 16, 2025

The pills were hidden inside fake fruits and electrical devices. Photo: Matt Kynaston/The National

Inside Assad's multi-billion dollar Captagon factories

MENADecember 15, 2024

Billions of dollars a year worth of Captagon have crossed from Syria into other Arab countries through Jordan since 2018. AFP

Captagon flows that enriched Assad regime come to 'near-full halt'

MENADecember 09, 2024

In August 2023, Jordanian authorities put drugs and weapons taken from criminal gangs in Amman and northern governorates on display to the public. Photo: Jordan Public Security

Jordan intercepts millions of Captagon pills bound for Saudi Arabia

MENAJune 05, 2024

Fighters affiliated with Syria's Hayat Tahrir Al Sham rebel-group display Captagon previously seized at a checkpoint they control in Daret Ezza, Aleppo. AFP

Captagon trade allows Syria to ride out spillover from regional war

MENAApril 24, 2024

A Syrian protester holds a banner reading 'Suweida will remain the beacon of the Syrian revolution' during a demonstration in solidarity with the anti-government movement in the southern province. EPA

Syria's civil war: How an ambush in 2011 influenced the conflict

SyriaMarch 17, 2024

Captagon pills seized at Saudi Arabia's Jeddah port, hidden in a baklawa shipment. Photo: Saudi Customs Authority

Jordan and neighbours to share information on drug smuggling

MENAFebruary 18, 2024

A Royal Jordanian Air Force plane takes off from an air base to strike ISIS in the Syrian city of Raqqa. Reuters

Jordanian air raids to disrupt drug flows spark feud with Syria

JordanJanuary 24, 2024

Drugs and weapons seized last year 4in anti-narcotics operations in Jordan. Photo: General Security Directorate

Jordan condemns Syria after border shootout tied to drugs

JordanJanuary 08, 2024

Jordan has seized weapons and other supplies in its campaign against suspected drug smugglers. Photo: Petra News Agency

Jordan army kills drug and weapons smugglers from Syria

JordanJanuary 06, 2024

Jordanian soldiers patrol near the border with Syria. The military has expanded its campaign against smugglers. AP

Jordan strikes Iran-linked drug smugglers in Syria

JordanJanuary 05, 2024

Lebanese authorities have stepped up efforts to combat drug smuggling. AP

Lebanese authorities seize 8kg of cocaine at Beirut airport

LebanonDecember 30, 2023

Suspected Syrian smugglers who the Jordanian military says it arrested after a border shoot-out on Monday. Petra News Agency

Escalation of drug war on Jordan-Syria border linked to Hezbollah

JordanDecember 20, 2023