The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on two entities and six individuals linked to the Syrian regime, including two Lebanese nationals, due to their involvement in a drug trade that reportedly generates significant revenues for the regime. The Syrian regime, increasingly in need of funding, is said to have turned to Captagon, a dangerous narcotic pill, as an important source of income, with Syria now believed to manufacture much of the drug exported to the Middle East and Europe. The Italian Financial Crimes Unit has reportedly seized a billion-dollar shipment of drugs from the Assad regime and Hezbollah. The substance is primarily produced in Syria, with the regime’s leaders said to exercise control over much of the illegal trade in the drug. The US government is set to implement the “Captagon Law” calling for a coordinated strategy to disrupt and dismantle drug production and trafficking linked to the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.
The US Treasury Department attributed the imposition of sanctions on those linked to the Syrian regime, which included two entities and 6 persons, including two Lebanese, to the relationship of these entities and persons with a drug trade that generates huge revenues for the Syrian regime.
In light of the Assad regime’s need for funding, it has become increasingly known that drugs, especially Captagon – a type of narcotic pill – have become one of the most important financial resources for the regime’s leaders.
It is believed that Syria has become the manufacturing country for a large part of Captagon exports in the Middle East, and even Europe.
Italy confiscated it.. a billion-dollar shipment of drugs “belonging to Hezbollah and the Assad regime”
Penalties
The Treasury Department stated that it is estimated that the Captagon trade, which is a dangerous stimulant, has generated $1 billion for the Syrian regime.
And it considered that these sanctions highlight the important role of Lebanese drug traffickers, some of whom maintain ties with Hezbollah, to facilitate the export of Captagon.
The sanctions highlighted “the dominance of the family of the leader of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, over the illegal trade in Captagon and the financing of repression in the country,” as the list included Samer Kamal al-Assad and Wassim Badi’ al-Assad.
Including two from the Assad family.. US sanctions against those involved in the drug trade
On Tuesday, the United States announced the imposition of new sanctions on supporters of the Syrian regime in connection with drug trafficking and smuggling.
The sanctions also included Imad Abu Zureik, who leads a militia affiliated with the Military Intelligence, and the Syrian businessman, Khaled Kaddour, who has relations with Maher al-Assad, who is covered by the sanctions for his role in human rights violations against the Syrian people.
The sanctions also included Hassan Muhammad Dago, who holds dual Syrian and Lebanese nationalities, and is called the “King of Captagon” in the media, in addition to the Lebanese Noah Zaiter, who have close relations with Hezbollah.
The sanctions also included two Lebanese companies, “Hassan Duqo Trading” and “Al-Israa Corporation for Import and Export.”
The Jordanian army thwarts an attempt to smuggle drugs from Syria
The Jordanian authorities announced that they had thwarted, at dawn on Friday, the smuggling of a quantity of drugs coming from the Syrian territories into Jordan.
“Syria has become a world leader in the production of addictive Captagon, and much of it is smuggled through Lebanon,” said Office of Foreign Assets Control Director Andrea Jackie, stressing that “the United States will hold accountable those who support the Assad regime with illegal drug revenues and other financial means that enable regime from the continuous oppression of the Syrian people.
What is Captagon?
Last September, the US Congress passed a law requiring the US government to draw up a strategy to disrupt and dismantle Bashar al-Assad’s Captagon and drug trafficking networks in Syria.
The law was called the “Captagon Law” or “Al-Assad’s Drug Smuggling Law.”
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Ziad’s relationship with his wife remained calm in a small house in the Bayaa area of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, for 12 years. She produced two children, the eldest of whom is ten years old, and with the exception of some small problems, Ziad says that his marriage was happy.
The law considers the Captagon trade linked to the Assad regime a “transnational security threat,” and requires the secretaries of defense, state and treasury, the director of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the director of national intelligence, and heads of other federal agencies to report to congressional committees on a strategy to disrupt and dismantle drug production, trafficking, and affiliate networks. Its associated with Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.
Captagon, according to the Drugs website, is a drug first made in 1961 as a substitute for amphetamine and methamphetamine used at the time to treat narcolepsy, fatigue, and behavioral disorder.
But by 1980, the US government declared it a controlled substance with no currently accepted medical use. The drug was discontinued in 1980.
However, illegal manufacturing continues, and has recently escalated in the past few years in Europe and the Middle East. Some sources indicate that Captagon is one of the most popular recreational drugs among wealthy young men in the Middle East.
There are also sources indicating that it is a “drug of extremists” and “the drug that fuels the war in Syria,” due to its popularity among extremist factions’ fighters.
The site says that the “Captagon” that ISIS and other extremist groups used to enhance the capabilities of their soldiers today is far from the Captagon of the 1980s.
Captagon.. the story of the most popular drug in the Middle East
Captagon, or what is also known as “amphetamine”, is one of the most popular narcotic substances in the Middle East, whether by extremist Sunni and Shiite terrorist groups, or by countries such as Syria, which are now exploiting it as a source that generates millions of dollars.
Instead of just two key ingredients in the ancient Captagon, the illegal manufacture would likely combine several highly addictive stimulants into “one devastating little pill,” according to the site. This type likely causes irreversible changes in the brain circuits that control impulses. Which takes away a person’s ability to reason or think rationally.
“drug system”
The British government website says that around 80% of the world’s supply of Captagon is produced in Syria.
He adds that the Syrian regime is closely involved in this trade, as shipments worth billions of dollars leave regime strongholds such as the port of Latakia, and he says that Maher al-Assad, brother of President Bashar al-Assad, leads the Syrian army unit that facilitates the distribution and production of drugs.
According to the site, the drug trade is the financial lifeblood of the Assad regime, and says that the trade is about 3 times the combined trade of the Mexican cartels.
On Tuesday, the United Kingdom and the United States imposed coordinated sanctions on individuals involved in this trade, as the United Kingdom’s list included senior regime officials facilitating trade for drug manufacturers and key Hezbollah partners responsible for smuggling it throughout the Middle East.
In conclusion, the recent sanctions imposed by the US Treasury Department on individuals and entities associated with the Syrian regime’s drug trade highlight the increasing reliance on Captagon and other narcotics as a means of generating revenue for the regime. The penalties also shed light on the role of Lebanese drug traffickers, some of whom have ties to Hezbollah, in facilitating the export of Captagon. The prevalence and dangerous effects of the drug have led to calls for action, with the US Congress passing the “Captagon Law” to disrupt and dismantle the trade. The drug trade is not only a financial lifeline for the Assad regime, but it also fuels addiction and destruction in the region, highlighting the need for continued efforts to combat it.