Skip to main content

US outlines strategy to counter Syria's lucrative Captagon trade

The report to lawmakers details US plans to support the counter-narcotics capacity of Syria's neighbors and impose sanctions on the key drug traffickers fueling the regime's operations.

captagon
A Lebanese security official holds a single confiscated Captagon pill at the judicial police headquarters in the city of Zahle on July 21, 2022. — JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has submitted a comprehensive report to US lawmakers detailing its interagency plan to disrupt Syria’s trade of the illegal amphetamine Captagon.

Syria's production and smuggling of the highly addictive drug has spawned a multi-billion industry, creating an alternate source of revenue for a regime battered by more than a decade of Western sanctions and a devastating war that’s killed more than half a million people.  

Congress in its annual defense policy bill required the administration to submit a written strategy to “deny, degrade, and dismantle” the Syrian regime's trafficking of Captagon, which has become the country's top export, driving much of the Arab region’s recent overtures to President Bashar al-Assad.

Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), who sponsored the original legislation requiring an interagency plan, told Al-Monitor he was pleased to see the administration release its strategy. 

Subscribe for unlimited access

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more

$14 monthly or $100 annually ($8.33/month)
OR

Continue reading this article for free

Access 1 free article per month when you sign up. Learn more.

By signing up, you agree to Al-Monitor’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Already have an account? Log in

Related Topics