The UNODC reports that Syria’s interim authorities have dismantled a major Captagon production and storage network since Bashar al‑Assad’s ouster, closing 15 industrial labs and 13 storage sites. While the crackdown has disrupted the regional market, large seizures show substantial Syrian‑origin stockpiles remain in circulation. The agency warns production may persist at smaller scales and cautions the shift could drive demand toward other synthetics such as methamphetamine unless consumption is addressed.
UN: Syria’s New Authorities Dismantle Major Captagon Network, Warn Of Shift To Other Drugs
A member of Syria's security forces empties a sack of Captagon into a ditch to burn it in a field on the outskirts of Damascus [File: Bakr Alkasem/AFP]
Syria’s interim authorities have launched a concerted crackdown on the Captagon industry that flourished under the previous regime, a new United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) research brief finds.
The UNODC report, published Monday, says that since Bashar al-Assad’s ouster a year ago the country’s new leadership has shuttered a network of industrial production sites and storage facilities tied to the trade.
Key actions: Authorities closed 15 industrial‑level laboratories and 13 storage sites linked to large‑scale Captagon manufacturing and distribution. The agency says these moves have "drastically changed" the Captagon market across the region.
Who Benefited Previously
For more than a decade, Syria produced a large share of the region’s Captagon — a highly addictive, amphetamine‑like tablet — generating billions in revenue for actors connected to the former regime. The report cites expert analysis that implicated networks within the regime’s security apparatus, elements of the commercial elite, and family members of Bashar al‑Assad in profiting from the trade. Caroline Rose, a specialist on Syrian drug trafficking at the New Lines Institute, is quoted in the brief describing those links.
Maher al‑Assad, Bashar’s brother and the former commander of the army’s elite Fourth Division, is identified in the report as a significant beneficiary, allegedly profiting from protection of shipments passing through Latakia, formerly a regime stronghold.
Ongoing Risks And Regional Impact
Despite the dismantling of major facilities, the UNODC cautions that large recent seizures across the Middle East indicate substantial Syrian‑origin stockpiles remain in circulation. The agency also warns that smaller‑scale production is likely continuing inside Syria and in neighbouring states, and that Gulf countries remain the primary market for the pills.
“With political will and international cooperation … even highly complex drug markets can be destabilised within a relatively short period of time,” the UNODC said, while cautioning the disruption could push consumers toward other synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine.
Implications: The crackdown may help the interim government bolster diplomatic ties and reduce one source of illicit revenue, but law enforcement gains risk being offset if demand is not tackled. The UNODC warns that without measures to reduce consumption and interdict alternative supply chains, trafficking and use may shift to other substances, with new routes and actors emerging to fill the gap.
What to watch: Continued international cooperation on seizures and intelligence sharing, evidence of sustained reductions in production and storage, and any signs of rising methamphetamine availability in regional markets.
