Syria
A large quantity of Captagon is displayed after being seized by Kurdish security forces (Asayish) in northeast Syria’s (Rojava) Qamishli city on March 25, 2025. Photo: Asayish
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish security forces (Asayish) in northeast Syria (Rojava) announced on Wednesday that they seized over 2.7 million Captagon pills in Qamishli.
“A huge quantity of 2,765,000 Captagon pills was seized, and two individuals considered key members of the drug trafficking network” in the area were arrested, Asayish said in a statement.
Captagon is an amphetamine-type stimulant that has been sweeping the Middle East for years.
The Asayish described the operation as "one of the biggest blows to drug dealers in the region" and said that the narcotics had been brought from a “neighboring country for the purpose of trafficking.”
The suspected drug dealers were ambushed on Monday night when Asayish found “small bags” inside their vehicle in Qamishli, the statement added.
Syria, under fallen dictator Bashar al-Assad, was a major source for the Captagon trade. The drug was one of the power cards used by the Assad regime for political leverage, and his brother Maher is believed to have been largely behind the illegal business.
With the collapse of Assad’s rule, observers have urged the international community to make ending the Captagon trade among the prerequisites for providing relief to the new Syrian leadership.
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