Wednesday, October 29, 2025 - Syria’s interior ministry has announced that security forces have seized about 11 million Captagon stimulant pills smuggled into the country from neighbouring Lebanon, one of the largest drug busts since the fall of former ruler Bashar al-Assad.
In a statement, the ministry said that “the anti-narcotics
branch in Homs province seized a vehicle coming from Lebanon containing
approximately 11 million captagon pills.” Authorities said investigations were
ongoing to identify those involved and to uncover the criminal networks linked
to the operation.
Captagon, a highly addictive amphetamine-type stimulant,
became Syria’s most lucrative export during the civil war that began in 2011,
serving as a key funding source for Assad’s government. Since his ouster in
December, the country’s new authorities have reported several major seizures of
the drug, though neighbouring states continue to intercept large shipments
originating from Syria and Lebanon.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah, a close ally of the former
Syrian regime, has also faced accusations of using the captagon trade to
finance its operations. In September, the Lebanese military seized 64 million
pills in eastern Lebanon, marking one of its largest operations against the
illicit trade.
The synthetic drug continues to flood the region, prompting
calls from neighbouring countries for Syria and Lebanon to intensify efforts to
dismantle the networks behind its production and smuggling.
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